Finding the Melody
by UndiscoveredStoryTeller
Summary: If you are a fan of NOTES, here's a sequel to it. Things are changing for the new Connelly as they face the challenges of becoming a family by trying to find what that really means. This story will sew up loose ends & mark a new beginning.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: For Old Times' Sake**

**E**van couldn't sleep. He laid, eyes wide open, on his bed, in his room in their new apartment. His heart raced and tears threatened; so this is what it's like to feel guilt. Evan sat up and drank from the glass of water his mom left for him on the night stand, and replayed the past year in his head.

After his adoption became final, Evan went to live with Lyla. It was always funny to remember how difficult it had been to call her Mom. Evan hadn't understood why Louis couldn't live with them back then. After 12 years, 6 months and 23 days, it became rather urgent for Evan to have a family. Louis did come around very often, and sometimes just for his mom. That's how he discovered what resentment was. For a while Evan resented his parents for abandoning him all over again, every other Saturday night.

It had been easier to call Louis: dad, resentment and all, because after a while, Evan woke up to find him at the breakfast table. He didn't really understand how his parents didn't live together if Louis spent all his time with them. When they finally told him they were going to move to this new apartment together, Evan said to his father: "Now you won't have to wake up early just to come have breakfast with us". His mother must have thought exactly the same thing for her face became red as she joined Louis's smile.

All their friends had come to the dinner party the officially formed Connelly family hosted. Marshall, who hated being called uncle, had brought his bass guitar to 'jam' with his nephew- who loved being called nephew. Though he was always more resistant, he did alright adjusting to his baby brother's family, his as well. Every now and again Evan would 'crash their sessions'. It wasn't really crashing and it wasn't much of a session as much as a practice for some performance. And performances they called gigs.

Mr. Jeffries had also become a close friend of the family. He still worked for New York Child Services. The agency was so surprised with what had happened with Wizard that they gave him the chance to open a new division: a rescue team for endangered children. Mr. Jeffries was exceptionally good at it, especially since he had a secret weapon: Arthur. Arthur remained at Walden's until Ms. Lane's departure. Andrea Lane had been a crucial character witness at Arthur's adoption process. It would have otherwise been very hard for Mr. Jeffries alone. Lyla still didn't like her very much, though Louis did. Louis agreed with his friend Richard that Ms. Lane was an Amazonian, modern, too much of a woman. Lyla didn't appreciate this kind of jokes coming from Louis, but she knew he only tried to encourage their friend. Evan wasn't too sure why Mr. Jeffries was being encouraged. It seemed to him that Ms. Lane was the one who needed help; she was the one with a bruised heart she couldn't open. From what he'd heard, Mr. Jeffries had suffered from the same illness and Arthur had cured it. Maybe the two should go visit Ms. Lane.

Arthur couldn't be happier with his luck! He really was a changed person. For one, his hair was shorter and in what he called cornrows. Evan remembered the tall wheat crops he used to run away to and if corn was anything like it, he didn't get the name of the hairstyle. He dressed differently and had made many friends in the seventh grade. Unlike Evan, Arthur had been able to forget his past and begin again from scratch! He was happier now, called Mr. Jeffries _Pop_ and remained Evan's best friend. Sometimes, Evan enquired about his mother. It was a sore subject for Arthur, but Evan couldn't stop his mind from wandering around in the past. Arthur's countenance always became serious as he answered, "I write to her every once in a while. It's a work in progress, but she'll be home soon…" Evan always pondered on Arthur's words. The only person he ever wrote to was Ms. Lane, said Mr. Jeffries.

Other than Arthur Jonas Jeffries, his new name, Evan didn't have many friends. His other only real friend was Hope and she was the reason he was feeling the way he felt. Every time he remembered how she had been an angel to him when he needed the most, he felt angry at himself for his inability to be the same for her now. Reverend J had finally found Hope and his grandmother a good place to live. Lyla and he had been over a few times to help them get settled. Hope painted her like the sky with clouds and rainbows and everything. But their happiness was short lived.

Soon after their brunch party and blessing on their new home, Hope's grandmother fell ill. Her condition became complicated, and with it, Evan and Hope's relationship. He didn't know how to talk to her and after a while, Hope wasn't easy to talk to either. She grew quiet and finally silent. Her condition aggravated as well. With her grandmother gone to heaven with her mother and her father discovered in jail, there was no one to tend to her. For the first few months after her grandma's death, Hope lived with a few members from church. However, New York Child Services soon intervened. She couldn't stay with any of them because they didn't qualify. Evan didn't dare ask his parents, but he had heard from Jeffries that they didn't qualify either since they were still in probation over Evan's adoption.

Tomorrow, Evan wouldn't forget, was Hope's first day at a foster home for girls. Lyla had already informed Mr. Jeffries of Hope's case and he was on it. Arthur had also made it known that he thought Ms. Lane could be of great help. Everyone was working to help Hope, but Evan couldn't move. The only thing he could do was replay his past over and over again in his head. He found he often did this when instead he should be helping out, only this time he didn't know how.

**H**ope dragged her feet as she walked through the cold hallways that would never be home. Her faith was shaken. Today was her birthday and she was removed from everything she knew and everyone she loved. She cried silently though her tears were apparent to the woman—Over the Rainbow Private Home for Girls' warden—as she walked her down to her new room. Hope tried to suppress the anger she felt at her mother; if only she hadn't died.

"Cheer up, dear. It's only provisional…"

The girl looked up as the sweet and calm voice spoke. Mrs. Goldman was a sweet old lady and she didn't look much like a guard or like she was in charge of anything but baking in some sweet smelling kitchen somewhere. Hope forced a smile to content the woman. Provisional sounded complicated, but it was said in such optimism, that Hope decided to consider the thought later on. She still couldn't get pass having lost everything—her new house and room—and especially her grandma.

"Your room is right around the corner, dearie…" Mrs. Goldman continued, "It's a two bed dormitory with its own bathroom, that's the difference between all those others foster homes and this one. See, it's not an orphanage per se, its…well, it's more complex…but you're not interested in _that_ are you, dear?"

Hope shook her head. She barely listened, cared or understood.

"Well…" the stout woman stopped at a wooden door, very much like the ones they've been passing by. She gestured Hope to set her luggage on the floor before knocking on the door, "Here we are. I have a key, but since you're roommate is already in I best be polite…"

Mrs. Goldman knocked on the door for a second time. Hope only had two bags and a picture frame. That was all she had left. Forgetting her courtesy, Mrs. Goldman opened the door and surprised Hope's new roommate.

"Elle! You startled me!" said the woman in her squeaky voice, "You're new roommate is here. Ellie this is Hope…"

"Hi…" Hope said shyly, though she really didn't feel like meeting anyone.

"Hey…" she said taking her earphones off, "Hope? It's Elle, _not_ Ellie…"

Elle went back to her bed and put her music back on. She wore her hoodie over her blonde hair and looked away. Mrs. Goldman was done bringing Hope's stuff in from the hallway.

"Well, now my dears, I'll leave you two to get to know each other better" she smiled at them and then turned to Hope, "You best get settled, child. Welcome home…"

Hope looked around and though she wanted to not cry, she couldn't help it. She cried and didn't care if Elle was looking. Hope was done dreaming and didn't quite know if she believed in miracles anymore.

"Don't worry Hope…" said Elle sitting by her on the bed.

"You wouldn't understand…" Hope said trying to hold back tears as she realized Elle was older than her, though not by much. She wondered what brought _her_ here.

"You wouldn't believe…" Elle mumbled before talking to her again, "Sadness doesn't last forever," she said looking outside the window, "And if nothing else, it's in our hands to change it. In any case, don't worry, the worst is over…"

She didn't understand Elle's words. Hope didn't even know how it applied to her, but she tried hard to believe it. That's when she discovered she had to try harder.

**M**arshall opened the door to the building setting the dust free. Louis coughed. Marshall entered the place careless of the terrible state it was in.

"So? What do you think?" he asked excitedly.

Louis looked around the old club. The bar, you could still make out standing in the corner it was obviously never moved from. The empty space at the end must have been the stage and the disaster zone, where some broken chairs, tables and other pieces laid, had obviously been the audience. Louis didn't think Marshall was going to go through with his plan to restore the place and get it up and running in three months. His elder brother still couldn't spend an hour at his house without getting in some kind of argument with Lyla.

"Louie? What ya think?" his impatience was evident.

"It's a dump…" he finally burst laughing.

"You just can't see it?" Marshall asked trying to place the few tables and chairs so his brother would get his vision.

"Marshall, what's your margin of error for this?" he said still smiling. He'd never seen Marshall so enthusiastic about anything.

"My _what_?" Marshall regretted having sent Louis to school instead of having gone himself.

"Margin for error? Savings? Back up plans?" Louis insisted.

"Margin for error? _Psbtsbsts_!" Marshall became annoyed, "I used my savings and took a loan, is that what you mean?"

"Zero, you mean to say zero." Louis said walking around, "Marshall! What are you going to do if this goes wrong?"

Marshall stood before his brother and held Louis's shoulders with his hands, "Wrong? How could it go wrong, Louie?"

"Yet another Irish pub in Manhattan…" he said, "Very original, man…"

"Yes, but this one is authentic!" Marshall padded his face, "The Connelly Brothers could be featured every other night along with hot new acts from the streets of New York! This could be the hottest new scene of the Big Apple! Don't you see it brother?"

"Must be all this dust…"

Marshall watched his brother look about. Their relationship had improved, but it was sometimes boring. There were very few things they did together as men. For the rest, Lyla and Evan would always come along and Marshall hated to see his nephew was falling way short on the cool meter. It didn't matter that he had concerts in the park and went to Julliard and whatever, Evan was becoming as boring a teenager as he had been a kid.

"I'll give you half the partnership; help you support your family and what not…" Marshall said, "Aren't you tying the knot next year?"

"You know I am…" Louis turned to smile at him, but when he turned back his smile disappeared. Memories of his recurring dream returned.

"Give you 50% off if you have your wedding reception here…" Marshall chuckled.

"Marshall?"

"Yeah?"

Marshall noticed Louis's attitude had changed. He walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong, Lou?"

"Do you remember mum at all?" Louis asked.

"What? No, Louis! Forget it. Let it go, man!" Marshall whined, "Mum's dead! No use bringing her back, mate"

"Do you remember her or not?"

"Better than you probably do…"

"Do you remember her eyes? What color were they?" Louis continued.

"Louis…"

"Just tell me. Please."

"Gray", Marshall answered, "They were a beautiful shade of gray if that's even possible. They didn't look at all blue…"

"How do you remember such detail?" Louis wondered.

"Not that I remember myself, but I always remember Aunt Adele telling dad what a happy occurrence it was your blue eyes looked nothing like hers. Dad always described her as a rainy morning. It was cause of her eyes…"

The Connelly brothers hardly ever spoke about their parents, childhood or past. Their suffering was not worth mentioning or reliving, so they did neither. Marshall hoped Louis wouldn't get nostalgic as he did as a kid for their mother, though he could understand all these emotions surfacing as his nuptials neared. Louis hoped his anxiety wasn't evident. Clearly, the big blues in his dreams were not his mother's. Whoever them sapphires belonged to, he'd yet to meet her and he panicked at the idea of doing so.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Marshall asked.

Louis's cell-phone went off yet he hadn't heard it. Quickly after Marshall's reminder, he answered the phone; Lyla and Evan called from the car, reminding him of their visit to Hope who had been moved to a home for girls after her grandmother's death a few days ago.

"Gotta go man," Louis said.

"But we are not done here! Can't it wait?" Marshall didn't have to hear the conversation or ask him to know that Lyla had called and that she and Evan dragged Louis somewhere he probably didn't want to go, but felt the responsibility to go to anyways.

Marshall watched his younger brother leave as he had watched him done so for one too many occasions in the past year. Louis had changed. Marshall thought he had lost his spirit after drowning in the ridiculous responsibilities of the suburbs life. Though he didn't live in the '_burbs_, their new apartment was pretty far out from Manhattan. Marshall hated to go visit, but having them come over _his _place was not an option.

Visiting was always torturous for him. He had to watch of Louis had to pretend to be the perfect family man, while his guitar gathered dust in a corner of the living room. Although he worked from home, Louis barely had time to play anymore. Marshalls would occasionally book the band, but Louis now had a curfew and a perimeter he couldn't pass. Meeting his demands, probably Lyla's, was keeping The Connelly Brothers from reaching their true potential. That's when Marshall thought a recurring gig, that would generate enough money for both of them was perfect!

Unoriginal, maybe, but an Irish pub was a good solution to the problem and since he'd always want to manage his own business, Marshall didn't think twice about it. He had found a great place very close to the city but also a good distance close to the 'burbs. Marshall had always heard men complain about them having no place to go but into the city and their wives didn't like that much. Now that he saw it first hand from Louis, he was sure the place would be a success. He'd even name it "The Escape".

**I**t had been a couple of days and Hope would never call this place home. There were about a hundred girls of all ages living in the place. Most of them even went to school there as it also was Saint Catherine's Boarding School for Girls. Apparently, two sisters decided to put their mother's fortune to good use and since they couldn't decide on which to use their old mansion for, they settled on both. Left wing held at least seventy-nine girls whose family had willingly placed them there and twenty-one girls who had no choice. Hope had probably been that one girl to take them to that number.

Evan's visit wasn't very comforting, though he, his parents, Mr. Jeffries, Arthur and Reverend J tried to tell her otherwise. There were promises of her situation being impermanent, of future visits and on her having better chances of a great life once this was over. Hope smiled kindly, but she didn't believe any of it. Not every kid was Evan, therefore not every one would end up like him. She walked around making no friends but her new diary that she filled with hopes and dreams that remained unspoken and always would. Her sanctuary became her room even though Elle was there.

Today had started beautiful enough, but as the evening neared it had begun to get dark, until it eventually rained. Hope wanted to sit by the window, but Elle already took that spot. In spite of herself, Hope found herself studying Elle. She didn't have many friends either, but everyone in the building knew her name. Hope could see why; her long blonde waves always looked dirty, she always wore a black hoodie on top layers shirts she couldn't see. Elle's outfit wasn't complete without a tutu skirt, black leggings and boy-ish boots. Hope knew all this because she had become very interested in fashion when a new member at church began to teach her how to sew. She hadn't seen this woman since her grandmother's funeral and doubted she ever would again.

"What?" Elle asked Hope annoyed.

Hope felt her cheeks hot when Elle discovered her. For some reason she felt intimidated by her and in her defense, it was all the stories she had heard from the others.

"Nothing…I just really like your skirt…" Hope spoke as softly as she could before returning to her writing.

Elle said nothing. She put on her hoodie and walked to a small pink radio on her night stand. Hope's eyes followed her roommate's every movement. She opened up her first drawers and all Hope could make out was that it had no clothes but was filled with something else. Out of it she took a compact disk and put it on. The music filled their room. It was a different kind of sound than Hope was familiar to. The music came out as a mix of sadness and anger, yet as calm as it was soulful. Elle hummed to it and Hope found her humming quite soothing to her never ending pain.

"What is that?" Hope's voice escaped before she could control it.

"It's Whinehouse…"

Hope didn't know who Elle talked about, but she found it funny that her roommate began to dance and sing to her song. Surprisingly enough, Elle had a beautiful voice that made Hope want to sing along, but Hope didn't know the words and knew she'd feel guilty if she did.

"You don't know Amy Whinehouse?" Elle looked offended.

"I don't…"

"Do you like music?" she asked brightening up.

"Yeah, but…" Hope looked down.

"What?" Elle sat next to her.

"I don't think I should…" she explained, "For my grandma…"

Elle sat next to her. Hope thought she might cry, but didn't dare to in front of an older girl. The blonde put her arm around her and said nothing for a while. One song ended and another begun.

"I don't think you can do much to honor her memory but to live happy and free. Be who she wanted you to be and most importantly, be what she wanted you to be and that was probably happy…"

Hope didn't know how this stranger had become so wise and so dear to her in so little time, but she put her hands around her and cried. Hope cried like she'd wanted to but hadn't allowed herself to do because she had to be strong. She also allowed herself to be comforted by Elle like she hadn't allowed any of her closest friends do so. It was liberating and she thought she ought to lift some of the weight off her shoulders for there was sure more to come.

**I**t was Evan's turn to place the table. Tonight Mr. Jeffries, Arthur and Reverend J joined them since they had gone to visit Hope together. Lyla had allowed Evan to skip his chore so he could watch television with Arthur, but Evan insisted. He felt guilty again because he omitted his real intention of eavesdropping on the adult's conversation.

"It is heartbreaking to see what has happened to Hope…" Reverend J said sadly looking into his glass of juice.

"Can nothing really be done, Richard?" Lyla asked as she prepared the salad.

"Well," Mr. Jeffries began, "If the agency has placed Hope there it means she could be endangered otherwise. Since her father got out of jail, it's too risky to let her stay at her old neighborhood with people he knows".

"Of all the years I've known Hope and her grandmother, they never said a thing about Hope's father. He abandoned her mother and was never heard of again. How can he be of any danger to her now? She doesn't know him…"

"But he knows her, he's seen her and knows where she's been. Whether he poses a real threat to her now, we don't want to have to find out when it's too late" Mr. Jeffries said, "As an agency protective of these children, we have to be extremely careful of this situation"

Lyla sat with them, "But he has no right over her doesn't he? I mean, neither Louis nor I had any rights over Evan being our biological son. So there's no real danger of him taking her"

Lyla looked over at the living room. Arthur was concentrated on the T.V., while Louis sat across from him, just thinking. His gaze was lost and Lyla assumed his thoughts where too.

"That's true, but we're not afraid of him taking her away, so much as him using her as shield to get his way, you know how it could go. We see it in the news every day and unfortunately we have very little cases that we can do something about at the agency," Mr. Jeffries concluded.

Reverend James was at ease knowing Hope's case was in the hand of someone as capable as Richard Jeffries seemed to be. He had faith enough to believe that Hope would end just as well as Evan and Arthur, if not better.

"You know," said the Reverend, "I have one more thing to add, but don't really know if you are the person to talk to this about. I believe it has struck Hope very hard—her grandmother's death and all that's happened—she doesn't seem much like herself and I am worried for her. She is only twelve. Isn't there anyone who could evaluate her, make sure she'll be alright?"

"Actually there is," Mr. Jeffries said and Lyla thought he blushed a little, "Because I am taking on more complex cases these days I have asked the department to allow one more member to my team. She's the best child psychologist I know—she treats adults too…"

"Are you talking about Ms. Lane?" Lyla asked but she already knew the answer.

"Yes," he said, "I heard she was coming back to New York to work for a private company, but I could use someone with her expertise on most of my cases. I am lost when it comes to human behavior and how to deal with it…"

"She treats adults you said?" finally Louis was woken up from his daydreaming.

"Yes…" Mr. Jeffries replied looking at him.

"Are you alright?" Lyla asked Louis.

"Just curious…" he said, "I'm fine…"

Lyla hadn't allowed herself to look back or think too much about anything. Lately, she tried to convince herself everything was alright between them, when it obviously wasn't. Louis slept most of the night on the couch more often than she liked. They never argued, but lately they barely talked. Evan remained oblivious to his father's change, but Lyla could no longer afford to. As much as she disliked Andrea Lane, maybe she did have to have a talk with her, for old times' sake.

**NOTE: **_To my readers, sorry it's taken so long. I apologize for dragging you into a difficult year that has now come to an end. I will try my hardest to post new material regularly and in short periods of times. Just bare with me and thank you for your support._

_Yours truly, Undiscovered Silence._


	2. Chapter 2: Percentages and Bridges

**Episode 2: "Percentages and Bridges"**

"Well it's a marvelous night for a moondance...

_Find me. Save me, you already love me, so save me, find me, I'm already yours. _

With the stars up above in your eyes…

_You've been here, I've been lost, oh so lost without you. One wrong turn in heaven, and I am in hell…. _

And when you come, my heart will be waiting…

_You've seen me, I've seen you, and though our minds have forgotten. _

To make sure that you're never alone…  
><em>Our hearts have always known. <em>

There and then, all my dreams will come true, dear. There and then, I will make you my own…

_Please save me, I've always been yours"._

Louis was breaking up a sweat right there on the bathroom floor. He didn't believe in anything, but he believed in something now. He took his hands to his head and rocked his torso back and forth. Desperation to let out a scream took over him as it became almost impossible to quiet the voices inside his head.

Hanging on to the sink, he let hot water pour from the faucet. He looked into the mirror surprised at the ghost looking back at him. His reflection came back pale, dark circles under his hollow, almost lifeless, red eyes. The hot vapor began to fade the vision of the man he was today as Louis couldn't reconcile with the idea that he was possibly going mad.

He couldn't stay locked inside the bathroom and he didn't want to wake them either. So as quiet as he could, which was barely quiet at all, Louis ran away from his apartment and into the streets of the city.

Stumbling with his own feet, Louis walked the streets unaware of where he was going or where he was at. Nothing seemed familiar. He felt his body tremble. Looking up into a billion lights that disappeared into absolute darkness and smoke made him dizzy. He threw up on the street and the bitter aftertaste made him nauseous. His feet where tired but somehow he couldn't make it stop; not until he found himself walking away from the noise. There somewhere near the outskirts of town he collapsed.

Lyla beamed with the news she had to deliver her family: she was officially named permanent music teacher at Evan's school. So far her promise to remain close to him was kept. Every other evening she was a cello instructor at Juilliard, usually on the same nights August had class. Lyla was devoted to her family one hundred percent.

She made sure family time as well as individual time with both Louis and Evan was vast. On the nights they went to Juilliard, Lyla took Evan to a Belgian bakery about a block away from the conservatory called Le Pain Quotidien. This was their time to talk and it was always cherished. Evan always ordered a raspberry tart while Lyla enjoyed the chamomile mint tea. Their time there in the corner table was always pleasant no matter how crowded it got sometimes.

Every Thursday she and Louis grabbed lunch together. Lyla knew it was important to tend to their relationship, though it became increasingly difficult within the past six months. For the past two weeks he had canceled their appointment and seeing that he wasn't home this morning, Lyla was sure he'd cancel on her again today.

"Excuse me, Ms. Novachek?"

Mrs. Burns interrupted Lyla's thoughts. She came into the classroom walking faster than usual and wringing her hands. As Lyla welcomed her with a smile, Mrs. Burns relaxed her hand movements but switched to tamper with the hair escaping her braid instead. It was mid fall semester, so it was no surprise Mrs. Burns was already beside herself. She was a jolly nice granny who had been unlucky enough to teach middle school so very long ago she was having a hard time adjusting to how children, and the arts, had changed since.

"First I should say thank you for helping me with that tortuous word processor thing on the computer," she smiled shyly, "But I am afraid I've come to ask for a rather huge favor now, dear…"

"What is it?" Lyla asked amused. Whatever Mrs. Jacqueline Burns considered big was probably nothing.

Mrs. Burns adjusted her big round glasses, "I know the second sixth grade class is supposed to take your class at 2pm, but I really can't handle the eighth grade class. I flutter all the way home after the class! Mr. Braverman approved to have the classes changed and have the children take art and music respectively for the rest of the year, but I need your consent to it. Please consent to it?"

The school was a small private academy that went from grades K to 12th, so when a high school art teacher position was opened and Headmaster Braverman suggested Mrs. Burns, she almost resigned. This was mainly the reason why Lyla got her permanency. The art teacher that taught music before Lyla took the job and Lyla took her old place.

"I'd love to…" Unlike Mrs. Burns, Lyla tried to conceal her excitement. She was ready to reveal her reasons why, but Mrs. Burns hurried outside to tell the headmaster the good news. Lyla would rather it be a surprise when tomorrow at two Evan's class came to her for their music lesson.

Mr. Jeffries sat at his desk distracted, flicking his pen's point in and out of its shell. He thought about Mira and Janine and wonder what they'd think of him now. He still thought the world of them in their angelic ballerina clothes, but his world was so much wider now than a year or two ago. Mr. Jeffries couldn't help but feeling guilty for the way he was feeling about Arthur and everything else in his life.

"Hello, Richard…"

His brown eyes looked up and found Ms. Lane standing at his door with the smile he only knew from college.

"Andrea!" As he hugged his old time friend, he couldn't help but feel closer to his wife's memory. They had been such good friends once. "You are finally here! Please sit down."

"Honestly I wouldn't have come exclusively for your case, but I have another case much interesting and some lives to ruin before I go back…" she said seriously, trying to contain a smile.

"Lives to ruin? I find that hard to believe!" Mr. Jeffries sat back at his desk, "How are you, Andy?"

"More or less the same old me" she said with a wave from her hand, "Dylan's back in the States so you know how that will go!"

"That's what you meant when you said you were ruining lives. It's been ages since I've seen her. She was in Europe?"

"In Europe wasting her father's money, which she eventually ran out of and returned here expecting me to fix it…"

"And you probably will…"

Ms. Lane was getting uncomfortable with Mr. Jeffries's constant stares and smiles. Never again did they spoke of the kiss and never shall they ever.

"Enough about me and my family problems how are you? How's Arthur and what is so important with this girl's case?"

He watched Ms. Lane tug her hair behind her ear and he knew she was uncomfortable. It was longer now and somehow she seemed prettier, but they were friends; co-workers and friends.

"We're doing fine. Arthur is infatuated with you as you may well be aware of…" Mr. Jeffries smiled as he moved toward his files to extract Hope's.

"Infatuated with me?" she chuckled, "My dear Richard you are mistaken. Infatuated with us is what he is…"

Ms. Lane chocked on her own laughter as her words resonated in her ears. She immediately regretted having said that.

"Hope is a friend of Arthur's and Evan's, I guess a friend of ours too…" Mr. Jeffries continued in order to save the atmosphere around them, "Her mother and grandmother died and her father's in jail and won't agree to give her up for adoption"

"Well is that really necessary? He's in jail for God's sakes!"

"Apparently so," he handed the files to her, "Her neighborhood became dangerous as it was discovered her father had _friends_ there still, so we transferred her to 'Over the Rainbow…"

"…Private Home for girls?"

"You know the place?" Mr. Jeffries was surprised.

"Yes I was assigned there as child psychologist and social worker when the place started running, a couple of years before I went to Walden. Why did they take this girl in? They're an all-girls boarding school."

"Apparently their cook goes to Hope's church downtown and asked for the favor and the owners accepted. The one thing she can't do for Hope is get her to go to school there so her church is helping out to send her to the same school Arthur and Evan go to, a private school to ensure protection."

"Careful not to get too involved in the case Richard or you'll lose it" Ms. Lane read through Hope's file, perhaps finding it more interesting than he had made it seen over the phone and emails. "The interesting case I mentioned is girl staying there…"

"At Over the Rainbow?" Mr. Jeffries said standing by his desk watching her. "They're not foster care…"

"Exactly," she returned Hope's file, "But there's a girl there who's a complete mystery to them. She has lived there here whole life, her parents haven't visited once and they only pay through their lawyer. They haven't got a clue about who they are and that is nothing but shady…"

"And since they're a private institution the government can't intervene to reveal them…" Mr. Jeffries understood why this case appealed to Andrea.

"Even if the government wanted to there's no case against the parents. Boarding school isn't abandonment and the girl wants for nothing…"

"You think she knows who they are? That doesn't make sense. I haven't met with her but that's impossible! Why would she keep it a secret?"

Ms. Lane stood up and took her things as she readied herself to leave, "What doesn't make sense is how she affords clothes and pays a private school in town by herself. I think she knows Richard, I think she knows…"

The end of the day couldn't have come early enough! Evan liked school when he started last year, but he wasn't sure about how he felt about it now. He found private schools to be so small it was very hard for him to make friends who didn't already know about him. Evan had been happy to go to the same school as Arthur and Hope, but now he wasn't sure he liked it. Arthur didn't seem to have enough time for him. At his custody hearing Ms. Lane had suggested that Arthur take up a sport to control his anger and an art class for a creative outlet to express himself, which he did. Arthur had become very good at football, which made him many friends, and played the guitar good enough to had been asked to be in a band with Rick and Thomas, two of the most popular boys in school.

Neither one of them talked to Evan, though they knew him to be Arthur's best friend. Evan didn't understand why he wasn't good enough to join their band or to be invited to any parties. It didn't bother him much, since he barely had time for anything—with Juilliard and all—but on days like this, when he ate lunch alone, it kinda did.

Hope had been his lunch companion for a while at the beginning of the semester. Then it became really hard for Evan to talk to her, especially since she became quieter and quieter. Eventually, Hope went outside to have her lunch while Evan sat at a corner table and observed the whole cafeteria by himself. Evan had even tried to eat lunch with his mom, but since she had to teach the second grade after lunch, she usually had lunch at the other building. She didn't come back to his building until the last period of the day when she taught the sixth grade class in the classroom right across from where he took art class.

The bell had rung about twenty minutes ago signaling the end of the day at school. Evan didn't have to go to Juilliard today. He didn't pile up any extracurricular activities either, afraid it would stand between time with his parents. Therefore, when school was over and his mother wasn't quite ready to leave, days like today caused Evan to be especially sad.

"Hey Aug! Wait up!"

Evan turned around to see Arthur running through the hall to catch up with him. He stopped thankful Arthur didn't have any kind of practice today and they could do something together while they waited to go home.

"Hello…" Evan said as his friend finally caught up.

"How did you do on that quiz?" he asked.

"I did good. How about you?"

Arthur smiled and took out a crippled paper from his back pocket, "I got 14 out of 20! It's a good thing your dad tutored us on percentages. I'm still not sure I can do better on the test, do you think he can help us again?"

Evan thought about his father. Louis had been acting weird for a long time. Today was Wednesday which meant family dinners, which lately Evan didn't enjoy. He had gotten used to his routines and didn't like when they changed. His father was causing many changes that Evan couldn't quite process yet, and so Evan kind of regretted that his father never missed a family dinner.

"Maybe, if he wants to…" Evan said just above a whisper.

"Is he sick?" Arthur asked.

The boys squint as sun hit their faces when they opened the doors. Outside, the bus was just taking off with Hope on it. Arthur waved at her and all Evan could do was smile shyly as she waved back.

"Poor Hope," said Arthur, "I wish she could find someone as cool as Mr. Jeffries to adopt her. At least he's helping out and once Ms. Lane gets here, everything will be better for her, you'll see!"

Evan was happy Arthur dropped his father's topic without further discussion, but was uncomfortable with the topic he had chosen to talk about instead. If Evan didn't know how to handle his family situations why would Arthur think he could deal with Hope's? He searched for the right words to say to Arthur, not quite sure he agreed with him. Ms. Lane had been very helpful to Arthur because he was Mr. Jeffries' kid and they were friends, but she had been quite awful to him and his parents. Evan could only imagine how much meaner she would be to Hope and he wouldn't like that for her. He would just have to keep his eyes opened.

"Have you been waiting long?" his mother's voice startled him out of his thoughts.

Evan smiled at her, "Not really".

"Ms. Evan's mom," said Arthur, "Do you think Louis can help us with our percentages again? We did well on the quiz, but the teacher said the test would be harder!"

Lyla stared at Evan, they didn't know if they even knew Louis anymore. "Tell you what Arthur, why don't you ask him yourself? We're all going out to dinner tonight."

"Alright!" celebrated Arthur.

"But it's Wednesday…" Evan said as he watched his mother search for her keys in her bag.

"I know, but Mr. Jeffries called to invite us and I couldn't say no. Maybe an outing with friends will cheer up Louis…" she smiled hoping Evan wouldn't catch on to her own worries about Louis. "So are we ready to go? Do you want a ride Arthur?"

Evan smiled and nodded to his friend.

"Nah, I'm sorry Ms. Evan's mom, but basketball tryouts are today."

Lyla smiled, "Basketball _and_ football?"

"When one season ends the other starts, it keeps me busy…" Arthur explained, "I'll see you at dinner?"

"See ya then…" Lyla waved back as she and Evan saw him run toward the court where a group of kids had gathered.

As Arthur made it to the basketball court he seemed like a different person all together; greeting everyone, talking with friends—so much so, Lyla wondered if Evan was doing alright. It seemed to her he was kind of a loner. She wanted to discuss this with Louis, but she couldn't for he was becoming a loner himself. Lyla often wondered what would happen to her family if they all became loners; she knew she had been one so long ago, it was quite an effort to do all she did now.

"Shall we?" she asked Evan, as she pushed the thoughts as far away as she could push them.

The ride was silent. Evan wanted to talk about his dad. Lyla wanted to talk about Louis. Neither one of them could utter a sound. Every now and then they'd share a smile, but that was it. The whole way back home was torture as they felt insecure of what they would find, or rather if they would find him there. It wasn't the first time Louis had gone missing and though he always came back, they had become rather expectant of the day when he didn't.

They took the stairs. The elevator was faster, but it would only increase their anxiety and make them kind of jittery. The stairs made them tired so whatever the outcome they would find in the apartment was less important. Evan wondered if his mother counted the steps as did he. Sometimes they added up to 112 other times it was 115 or even 98. Evan was always distracted by something when he counted. Finally they reached their floor. Their door was only a few steps from the stairs.

Again Evan had to wait for Lyla to search for her keys. She once had them in the same keychain as the car's, but for a while she kept them separate. Maybe to bide more time in order to hide her anxiety. Finally she inserted the key, turned the knob and opened the door. The apartment was quiet. Neither of them knew whether they should make a sound.

Lyla placed her bag on the dinner table and her work case on one of the chairs. Evan put down his backpack on the same corner his dad always asked him to pick it up from, since he always tripped. This was a strategic move for Evan to know when his father made it back home without having to seem uneasy about it. Lyla knew what Evan was doing and though she had tripped on his bag several times before, it did the same for her, without making her fear seem obvious.

Unaware they were doing it again, Lyla and Evan stood by the door afraid to go in further and find out Louis wasn't there. They found little excuses not to do so. Lyla checked for messages in the answering machine. _There are no new messages, _she replied as if annoyed at her. Evan would put his camera next to the computer on his father's desk as if he would empty it right then. More than just biding their time, they waited for any sounds or lack thereof to confirm their theories. Lyla didn't have Evan's patient so she didn't know how many more days like this she could take.

"Jesus! You scared me".

From the hallway came Louis trying to put a watch on his wrist. Lyla's heart sank back into place and Evan smiled. He was barefoot, probably the reason why they hadn't heard a noise.

"Have you been here long?" he asked as if anything.

"We actually just got here…" Lyla said concealing all the emotions that fluttered inside her, "Did Richard called you?"

"He left a message on the machine," Louis said finally putting his watch on. "You better start getting ready if we're going to make it on time. Restaurant's far off…"

Lyla hadn't seen him this eager in quite some time or quite this affectionate as he kissed her cheek on his way to the kitchen. Evan just stood there watching, happy his father was back to being him.

"How was school, Evan?" Louis asked, aware of the shock his attitude caused on them.

"We need help with our percentages…" it was all Evan managed to say.

"Then we'll work on that" Louis said taking a sip of the water he'd been pouring.

Lyla smiled at Evan and walked into her room to get ready for dinner. Evan was about to do the same when he was stopped by his father:

"Please take your bag with you…"

And Evan did.

The Hudson River Café became a mystical place for Evan. From the minute they arrived Evan was mesmerized by the gigantic iron arms or legs of the colossal bridge. It kind of scared him, but also appealed to him very much as he listened to the melody it could hold. He was too entrapped in his thoughts to notice his mother's disappointed face when she discovered Ms. Lane was to be part of their dinner party. Louis had hidden this information along with how he really felt. Truth was this afternoon had been only a spectacle for his family's sake. Louis felt as miserable as he did last night and this morning when he woke up at the clinic.

"Thank you so much for joining us!" Mr. Jeffries said as soon as The Connelly family made their way to their table.

"Hello, again…" said Ms. Lane, who could tell each one of them was emerged in their own thoughts. "It is nice to see you, gives me the chance to once again apologize…"

"Nothing to apologize for…"said Louis shaking hands with her. He was genuinely happy to see her.

Ms. Lane could tell that Lyla disagreed with Louis's sentiment, but she was the least of her concerns. She wasn't after anything Ms. Novachek had, and after so much work to improve her self-esteem this past year, she wasn't going to let Lyla's insecurities attach to her.

"Isn't this awesome?" Arthur added excitedly, "Now we can focus on Hope's case, right Aug?"

"Huh?" Evan's attention was finally summoned as the evening progressed with no interesting occurrences.

The conversation was shallow, with important details about the boys adoption process kept to a minimum. Trying to get away from the uncomfortable presence of Ms. Lane, Lyla took the boys for a closer look of the bridge and river, as Mr. Jeffries offered to pay for dinner. She didn't mean to intervene in the boys' conversation, but it felt weird to hear Arthur go on about school when Evan had nothing at all to add.

"You know, I wasn't going to say anything, but starting tomorrow, you'll be taking music class with me instead of art class with Ms. Burns" she said entering the conversation.

"That's great…" Evan said with a little enthusiasm and much more surprise.

"What happened to Mrs. Burns?" Arthur asked, hiding a smile.

"She said she couldn't handle you guys, why is that, Evan?" Lyla asked her son trying to increase his participation.

"I don't know…" he said softly while shrugging his shoulders.

"Arthur?" she finally asked curious of what might await her tomorrow.

Arthur threw a rock into the water, "Mrs. Burns just couldn't get with us. She wanted us to paint and draw and use modeling clay and it was just boring".

"Well, there's a curriculum to follow you know…" Lyla explained, though she knew in her heart Mrs. Burns's teaching methods where rather outdated.

"No, we get that. But the world's changed is all. Include something from our time will ya?"

Lyla smiled. Arthur was right and she would consider that when she sat this weekend to plan her future classes. In the mean time she would use tomorrow to get to know the students and discover which way to go. She stared at Evan. He was looking up at the iron giant as if he was taking a mental picture or listening out for something. When she looked back at the table she saw Louis and Ms. Lane in a strict confidence that she didn't like. Lyla didn't think she was jealous of Ms. Lane and she knew exactly why she disliked her. What really bothered her was the fact that her fiancée trusted _her_ with whatever he was going through and not the person he assured was in love with.

"Well, dreaming with the moon can mean many things. For instance it could refer to love or even life changes…"

"I'm not dreaming about the moon…" Louis interrupted Ms. Lane, "I can actually hear it talk to me. I know it sounds crazy, but—maybe I am going crazy…"

"The fact that you acknowledge you could be going crazy favors of your sanity," Ms. Lane scoffed, "Is everything alright between you and Ms. Novachek? Is everything alright with Evan? It could be your subconscious telling you something…"

Louis looked at where Lyla and the boys stood. Tonight he wasn't quite sure what he felt about her.

"May I confide in you?" Louis asked her.

"I thought we were already under confidence. I am very professional you know," Ms. Lane assured him, "Is there something else?"

"There is," Louis said checking back. He didn't want to be surprised by Lyla or anyone else, "I have this dream about someone else…"

Ms. Lane was intrigued, "Who?"

Louis looked deep into the blonde's green eyes, "I don't know, but it's an…"

"Ready to go?" Mr. Jeffries interrupted their conversation and shortly after Lyla, Evan and Arthur returned.

When they did everyone could sense the uncomfortable silence between Louis and Ms. Lane, though no one inquired about it.

"Shall we go?" Lyla asked Louis seriously, and after cold goodbyes, they were gone.

She couldn't get the occurrence out of her mind. What could Louis had told her? Why were they so silent when the approached the table? It seemed to Lyla that Louis and Ms. Lane had even spoken with their eyes as they left. The shared a secret now and she couldn't stand it.

"Did we interrupt anything?" she finally asked him on their way back home.

"What? With Andrea? Not really…"

"You call her Andrea now?" Lyla asked hoping he would so much as glance at her.

Louis took his eyes off the road for a moment and looked at her, "What is that? Are you jealous?"

"No, I just don't like being lied to" she said. He turned back at the road. Evan paid close attention to their conversation though he tried to seem busy with his camera. "Don't you think your sulking has gone long enough? Don't you think that I can't help you?"

"It's not that…" he said very much aware what they were just getting into.

Lyla chuckled frustrated, "You can tell her but not me?"

"She's a professional Lyla! Geez!" Louis calmed countenance was close to eruption. He continued to conceal the madness inside of him for their sake meanwhile she was doing her best to uncover it.

"So it's as bad as you needing a professional? Besides she's treats children…" Lyla could rant on if she hadn't become aware of what was happening in front of their son. If whatever Louis was going through was about him, she wouldn't want Evan to know. But if she let the subject cool down it could cause an even larger wedge between them that would ultimately hurt Evan anyways. Sitting there on the passenger's seat, Lyla felt useless and frustrated. She struggled to hold back tears.

Louis could see her struggle. The point of keeping his state and dreams a secret from her were so she wouldn't get hurt, but it had found a way to hurt her anyways. Evan was in the back seat listening; Lyla was up front falling apart. Ms. Lane's stare just before they left, suggesting he talked to Lyla about it invaded his mind and he didn't quite know if this was the right time for it. Every traffic light stopped their progress back home providing time enough for him to say something, something to comfort them both.

"I—I'm not—I mean, I…" Lyla and Evan paid close attention. They didn't want to miss a word of what Louis tried to say.

Silence fell over them again for the few blocks from their building. Evan knew that if they got home, he'd probably be excluded from the conversation and he never ever eavesdropped on them. However, he needed to know. Evan too struggled with what he would say and he felt a tear roll from his eye to his cheek.

"I am sorry…" Evan didn't know what he apologized for, but things always seemed to be related to him.

"You don't have to apologize kid," Louis sighed, "Rather than any of you, it's really about me. I have to do something, find someone…"

"Who?" Evan asked softly, hoping he didn't sound eager to know.

"I don't know yet, but I dream about her every night…" Louis stared at Lyla, but the light turned green too fast.

The _her_ pounded in her head and caused her heart to leap. Lyla had wanted to know what was wrong with Louis, but she could have never imagined this was it. There was a slight chance her happy ever after was over as it seemed that Louis had found someone else…

***Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics to "Moondance" by: Van Morrison, released by Warner Brothers Records.


	3. Chapter 3: Running Away from Home

Episode 3: Running Away from Home

He had left the apartment while Lyla and Evan where still sleeping. How could he possibly explain to her the female eyes in his dreams? She was already shaken and Louis thought that more conversation about it would make it worse. He was out a few minutes before the sun. Louis decided to alternate walking with the buses, trains and subway services. He needed to be around all sorts of people to prevent the madness from taking over him. In his mind he knew exactly what was happening, why the moon had decided to talk to him after many years of silence: this was something he had to do. Louis knew he couldn't run away from it.

He had run away from Lyla once and that only turned out well because of the pulling of his heart by Evan's cries. People would have thought he was crazy. Hell, Marshall thought he was crazy. And he was probably right too. But it wasn't nonsense; it didn't feel like it. To this day Louis couldn't understand the strange tugging that took over his heart and invaded his mind every once in a while. He was sure he felt his father drowning those many years ago, he felt Lyla's desperation and Evan's calling, and today he was feeling another call. The problem was that this time he had no idea who could be calling or why especially since his life was finally in order.

Whatever this call was he knew he wasn't really going insane and it wasn't just a nightmare caused by anxiety like Andrea Lane tried to explain. One thing he did agree with her on though, and that was change. This was definitely changing his life and he didn't want it to. Maybe that resistance made the pull so strong it led to total madness as it had the day before. Louis could rationalize all he wanted. He could call it names and take pills and think about it until the day and night became one, no longer separated by sleep. The only thing he knew for sure was it wouldn't be over until he put an end to it. He had to do something now. Louis had to actually find this person among the estimated 7 billion on planet Earth.

If Louis really wanted to explain himself he would have tried harder. Lyla didn't know where all this anger was coming from but angry she was. Last night they tried talking but it didn't seem like it was going to end well so she didn't get into it at all. Besides, it was his situation to tell, not just for her to uncover. This morning would have given them an opportunity to talk, but once again Louis didn't wake up beside her and by now Lyla could only wonder on whose bed he'd woken up.

Lyla took a deep breath and once again pushed these thoughts further into her mind. Today was a special day. Today she would teach Evan's eighth grade class and she was very excited. She knew Evan to keep kind of distant from the rest of the kids, yet she also knew that if he could stand out for something it was music. Everyone at Juilliard loved him! Lyla felt that with her class she could help her son become more sociable. If he was anything like his dad, Evan would have no problem making friends. Maybe this is a trait he got from her. She was more an introvert and she'd rather think Evan took after her, than conclude foster care had damaged him in some way.

She had read the curriculum so many times she could recite the objectives in her lesson plan. She had decided to concentrate their class on some theory and the classics. Lyla was glad she didn't have to worry about instruments. She was a renowned cellist, but felt quite lost with others musical instruments. Since a school band was formed a couple of years prior, they took care of that for her. This, she thought, made for a fun class, stress-free class, though she would have to administer some tests. That's when she remembered Arthur's advice to keep up to date. The bell would ring soon, allowing for her class to start. Lyla couldn't believe she'd been looking forward to this all day!

Paper planes flew over their heads and paper balls rolled until the stumbled upon feet, backpacks or whatever else was laying on the floor. Evan watched his classmates as they rejoiced in Mrs. Steven's absence. He didn't quite understand why the doctor would "put" his teacher to "bed rest". Where else would she rest? The good news was that the test was probably cancelled and he wouldn't have to worry about fractions, decimals or percentages anymore! Evan was actually very comforted by the thought. Math wasn't his best subject, though he would have thought it to be after counting all those days until he found his parents. How quickly had he learnt that math was much more than counting!

While his classmates talked or played video games Evan could only stare at a blank page at his desk. He wanted to compose his best musical number yet! He had been planning this for quite some time now—actually since after his parents decided to get married. He wanted to play it for them then. It made him sad to think that the wedding seemed very far away—but then again that's what he was there for! He had brought his parents together through music once and he was certain that he could do it again.

"Think fast!"

Evan could hardly make out the words when a paper ball hit him on the head. He looked to find Elle Alexander and a couple of other students laughing at the incident. The bell had just rung.

"Sorry!" she said picking her stuff and readying herself to exit the classroom.

Evan couldn't answer, partly because he didn't believe she was truly sorry and partly because she didn't give him a chance; before he knew it he was the only one left in the mathematics classroom. Good thing they now changed to the last subject of the day: music with Ms. Novachek. Evan smiled.

When he entered his mother's classroom, careful not to call her mom but Ms. Novachek, he found there weren't too many kids in there. Apparently some of them were still not caught up to the change in schedule and Evan couldn't believe Arthur was one of them.

"You're in the right class…" Lyla smiled at him.

He realized he was still standing at the door, his hands on his shoulders holding in backpack. Evan smiled at her and took a seat.

"I think I've lost some of you in the hallway…"

Evan watched his mother—well Ms. Novachek, walk outside to the hall trying to rally up her students. Shortly after they started coming in most of them unaware of the class change had to go all the way back to their lockers and find their stuff. Other had gone into the instruments room to find the instrument they played in band trying to get ready. That's were Arthur had been. Others tried to get out of the class, but were forced back inside. That was Elle's case.

Either way, Lyla understood she had quite a diversity of personalities in such a small group. The eight grade class was usually one of the largest, but it tended to shrink when they progressed to the ninth grade. However, with the recession most parents had pulled their children from the private education sector to the public causing this particular class to be rather small compared to the ones before. At least that was Lyla's explanation for it.

With the students sitting quietly in their desks waiting to meet her made Lyla more nervous than she counted on. As a teacher, Lyla was pretty new to the school and before her permanency she spent most her time back and forth from the younger grades to the older ones. Never had she been stuck in the middle and so lost for the words to say. The eager eyes of her students reminded her of vultures and she was probably being preyed. Either way she summoned up her courage and smiled at them ready for class to begin.

"If this is music class, why won't we use our instruments?" said the girl in the braids that sat on the third chair of the second row.

Lyla chuckled softly, "Well, first of all I am Ms. Novachek and I'll be your music teacher for the rest of the school year and maybe later on…"

"Is that German? Russian?" asked a boy in glasses in the front seat of the first row next to Evan.

"That still doesn't answer my question…" the little girl insisted.

"Let her talk Gina!" Arthur came to Lyla's defense.

It became clear to Lyla that Evan being an introvert was likely an inheritance from her. She was happy he had Arthur because she was very happy to have him too.

"Thank you, Arthur. Gina is it?" Lyla said walking closer to her students, "Since not all of you are in band or interested in an instrument, the Headmaster and I thought it would be better to use a more generalized curriculum with the alternative of band as an extracurricular in the after school program. Basically what we're going to do here is talk about music, its history, different styles, famous individuals and just become more sophisticated musical aficionados…"

"So what you're saying is we're here to learn about dead people and boring music?"

Evan didn't like that his classmates interrupted his mother continuously, especially not with the attitude Elle had recently asked her question. However, Lyla just smiled.

"True, classical music can be a little boring, but I'll make it as fun as I can for you. And although these people are dead, their music transcended times and are still very much popular today…"

"MTV popular? Woodstock popular? Legendary popular? Or just barely popular?" Elle insisted gaining a couple of snickers and giggles from the rest of the class.

"Well, miss…?" Lyla tried to coax the girls name out of her. However, the girl just stared at her, blinking her eyes as if anything. That's when Lyla realized she was testing her. Her answer would determine this girl's attitude towards her the whole year, and considering that the class followed her and not Gina, they would copy her as well. "Your name please?"

"Elle Alexander," the girl smiled while tilting her head sideways, just slightly so that her blonde hair bounced off her shoulders. "There is a slight typo on your list, but it's Alexander. _Elle_ Alexander…"

By her attitude Lyla could have thought that the child tried to intimidate her. She figured Mr. and Mrs. Alexander were great contributors to the school which made their little girl feel entitled. So this is what they meant when people said tweens where actually ten times more difficult than actual teenagers.

"Alright then, Ms. Alexander, I propose a little game…" Lyla said closing her students' registry. She could pass attendance later.

"So you're not going to answer my question?" Elle opened her palms and scoffed, "How popular is it?"

"You'll answer your own question in a bit" Lyla smiled. She had finally captured the attention of her restless audience, "I'll hum a song and if you've heard of it that's how popular it is! Everyone's invited to join in so don't be afraid to answer if you know it ok? Here goes…"

Lyla hummed "Für Elise" by Beethoven as softly as she could in order to quiet her students. Before long she could hum higher as the room was silent and expectant of the answer. Lyla didn't think they hadn't heard it, but they could have forgotten its name or maybe just thought it was an exclusive jewelry box tune.

"Für Elise…" said Evan in his usual soft tone.

"That's right!" Lyla said happy that Evan participated.

"Good job, Aug…" Arthur said nudging Evan's shoulder.

"That's it? Well of course your son would know it!" Elle complained.

"Now, everyone had a fair chance, Elle," Lyla smiled at her. Mission accomplished, "Don't be discouraged though, I…"

"Oh, I'm not discouraged Ms. Novachek, I'm bored!" Elle's words caught the students attention as a murmur composed of agreeing sentiments was heard, "Beethoven is outdated and unimpressive…"

"Unimpressive?" Lyla chuckled, "Ludwig Van Beethoven was a prodigy! A man who, against all odds, became immortal, why he…"

"So he was deaf, big deal! I find Helen Keller much more impressive…"

Elle was really giving Lyla a run for her money and Evan wasn't sure he liked the argument. He'd already seen Elle make a couple of teachers cry and that was just mean. Now he felt sad that he didn't know what to do to keep his mother from being her next victim.

"You know what song is really impressive and has totally transcended times?" Elle asked, but gave no chance for anyone to answer as she began singing it herself:

"_I read in the news today, oh boy,_

_Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire_

_And though the whole were rather small, they had to count them all_

_Now the know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall._

_I'd love to turn you on…"_1

The class murmured around them. Lyla couldn't tell whether they were with her or against her, with Elle or against Elle. For a minute as she was singing, they seemed mesmerized at her melodious voice and sing-song gestures. But after the lyrics where over and she'd begun to hum it, almost to herself, they seemed ready to burn her at the stake, the only way pre-teenagers did. And laugh they did. They didn't seem to remember the song and Lyla made a bigger effort to remember it and take control of her class again.

"Of course you'd laugh," Elle said snapping out of her state and laughing with them, "With all the Biebsters and other wannabes, there's no way children, such as yourself, could even have heard The Beatles. But reinvent music they did! Did you know that CNN called this song the best ever! Or close to…" she said walking to the front of the class, right next to Lyla, "Like, at the very end, it gets awesome in what has been called the most famous chords in music history in like, _ever_! They even used a 40-piece orchestra to do it!"

"And do you know what an orchestra usually plays? Which instruments make it up?" Lyla was determined to take control back in her hands, even though Elle's passion as she spoke had completely captured her classmates' attention.

"Yeah, but don't you get what I'm saying?" Elle insisted, "Classical music needs popular music to become memorable".

"Is that so?" Lyla smiled, "And why is that Ms. Alexander?"

"Well as if 'A Day in the Life' wasn't the best example, let's just say, quoting from my favorite author, classical music is the kind of music everyone likes, but very little remember to talk about. It's not trend setter and doesn't change the world…"

Lyla smiled, "There are many classical numbers that contributed making history, that's what we're here to learn. All you guys have to do is open your minds and develop a…let's say taste to it. Classical music has an outstanding way of accessing our deepest feelings and memories and even take us to mysterious places if we allow our imaginations the journey…"

"Journey…" Elle said, still in front of the class, "No song gives you a boost to do anything like 'Don't Stop Believing'. And nothing sounds as mysterious as Van Morrison's 'Moondance'…"

Elle's last suggestion made Lyla render her attention as her students had. Elle read her teacher's expression "_Checkmate…_" she thought as she began singing. Lyla hoped it didn't show but the chill that caressed her back appeared obvious to everyone.

"See?" Elle said after the first verse, "You may like classic music all you want, but it makes you feel nothing without words".

The bell rang and the classroom emptied as quickly as they heard it. Lyla stood petrified with frustration, disappointment and anger, as her eyes followed Elle to the back of the room to her seat. She felt Evan stand by her and heard Arthur call him from the door, her green eyes still fixed at the girl.

Elle knew she had accomplished her mission and she hid her smile with her hair. She was rather curious as to why her music teacher froze up like that by 'Moondance'. The song wasn't very impressive in Elle's opinion, but she added to her bucket list to find out; maybe not today, but there was always tomorrow. Throwing her strap over her shoulders, she took a folded paper out of her messenger bag to hand to Ms. Novacek. Lyla took the paper and stared at it confused.

"It's an excuse," Elle explained, "If you sign there, I'll be out of your hair for the rest of the year…"

Evan looked at his mother while she studied the paper Elle handed her. He was angry and hoped she signed. In his opinion the whole class would benefit from a period without Elle! However, he watched carefully as Lyla folded the paper and returned it to her owner. Now Elle looked disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Alexander, you'll have to take the class and earn your grade like everyone else…"

"I'm not everyone else…" Elle snatched the paper from her teacher's hand and headed for the exit, "But…wasn't I right all along Ms. Novacek?" She turned around to look at her teacher, "Didn't Moondance have a bigger effect on you than Für Elise?"

Elle exited the room. Arthur hurried out calling her name. Evan pat his mother's shoulders condescendingly as Lyla realized she had reached a new low. Now Arthur was out to defend her and her son from a thirteen year old girl.

"Elle!"

Arthur ran after her through the empty hallways of school, outside the front door. Elle had always heard him, but was ignoring him as she usually did everyone else. Maybe she knew what he would say. Someone just had to put a stop to her! Finally he caught up with her, by the flag pole in front of the bus stop.

"Elle! Stop." He ordered.

"What do you want?" She stopped abruptly and he almost tripped.

There in front of her, Arthur was at a loss for words. She was very pretty and he had never actually talked to her or even knew anyone who had.

"Just leave her alone, ok?" he said.

"What's it to ya?" she asked.

"Just…you're very talented. Maybe all you need is a creative outlet to…"

"Get fixed?" she interrupted him, "Are _you_ fixed, Arthur? I don't think so. You might be better off, but not fixed. We're damaged goods. Her little prodigy included…"

"Elle, the bus is waiting for you are you coming? Hello, Arthur…" Hope's conversation interrupted that of theirs.

Arthur smiled surprised to discover Hope made friends with Elle.

"You go ahead," Elle said to Hope. She was done with Arthur and was ready to move on to the next thing. "I forgot I have a club meeting today. Tell the driver I'll have one of the mom's drive me back before dinner…"

"Are you sure?" Hope insisted, but Elle was running back inside the building, flying by Evan and Lyla, who just came out.

He didn't have time to explain what happened to Evan, though his eyes asked as much. Unaware of when Hope had walked to back to her bus, he ran after Elle once again. There were no extracurricular activities this Thursday on the count of a PTA meeting for the younger grades, let alone a club that Elle could be a member of! Arthur followed Elle through the empty hallways into the little kid's art classroom, out the door to the playground and finally out on the streets. He didn't think a girl like her would know anything about the streets of New York City, as he did, but that is exactly where he followed her to.

Because Elle had been distracted by her headphones the whole time, Arthur didn't get caught, even when he took the same two buses into the city. She made eye contact with no one and talked to nobody. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't recall Elle doing anything more than annoy the teachers and avoid the students. In all fairness all he knew about her what was he heard and what he heard wasn't much. As he followed her through streets he'd always known, but suddenly felt afraid of, Arthur wondered what he was doing. Maybe that's where his fear came. He hadn't even told Mr. Jeffries where he'd be going and that could jeopardize their relationship. Arthur felt like he should just walk away and find the next bus home, when he saw Elle turn towards Madison Avenue. There he watched carefully as Elle waltzed into a tall building, when the man up front wasn't looking. He wondered if he'd have the same luck as she when coming in. Luckily, a woman in a cab asked for the man's help and Arthur was able to sneak in after his classmate. However, she was nowhere to be found.

Thinking he had lost her, made him want to persist. He couldn't give up now after coming this far! He walked around the lobby. It was pretty much empty to him, though he could tell the few little things inside where valuable. He heard the ding of an elevator and took it for it was empty. _"Which number to choose?"_ Instead making a selection at all he let the box hover up on its own, up to the tenth floor where it had been called on. An old man smiled at him before coming in. The man held the elevator while his wife slowly crept in. Arthur could help but feel embarrassed to show off his youth.

"It's so nice to see young people…" said the woman when saw him standing in the corner, "Even if the little lady almost knocked me down…"

"_Elle!_" though Arthur and with a slight nod and a smile walked outside the elevator, right after making sure, the couple was safety inside. However, once again he was at a crossroads. There was left and then there was right. Which way had she gone? Did she live here? Who lived here? Why would she lie to Hope? What was he hiding?

_Knock, knock._

Arthur quietened his thoughts. Where had the sound come from.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

The left? The right?

_Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!_

The right! He followed the sound and finally saw Elle knocking fiercely on a door. He couldn't catch the number since he had to stand at the end of the hall so she wouldn't catch him. The door in front of me read 1015. But with doors at every side front to back, Arthur could never guess which door she knocked on! The one thing he did guess was that Elle must have been angry because her knocking became louder and harder and more insistent. She was sure to either hurt herself or throw down the door if no one answered soon.

Finally a man opened the door. Arthur couldn't see his face, only his feet. He wore fancy black shoes over some nice, church trousers.

"_How much to you want now?"_ said he the minute he opened the door. Did he even know who was calling?

"_A couple of thous should hold me for a while…"_ Elle answered in the sing song, mocking tone Arthur had so often heard her use on their teachers. And with her answer the girl was invited in and the door was closed.

"Is this why I haven't seen you in while?" Louis smiled proudly at the work Marshall had done to the bar.

The place looked modern. There were black tables and neon colored chairs. The stage was big and polished with a red brick wall were it ended. Instruments, microphones and lights where already set. Marshall had also put up a host station and weirdly enough two bars. The restrooms and kitchen were apparently still a mess, but the floor was tiled black. A few square feet along lighted tiles allowed for a dance floor. Marshall was up to impressing him, Louis knew. That's why he found him upstairs, in the lights and sounds cabin messing with every lighting, sound, bubble, fog or confetti effect he had bought. Louis chuckled. Marshall had not yet realized the mess he would have to clean up later.

"Are you done showing off?" Louis smiled.

"Nah…" he turned everything off and smiled, "Not unless it's working".

"I can't believe you've done it! And in such a short time too!"

"Short time, Lou?" Marshall asked, "It's been around two months!"

"Two months?" Louis didn't argue that two months was actually a small time to get a project like his running, because he hadn't realized it had been two months since he'd last been here on that day he talked about his dream.

"I think I can open next week. Which leads me to a new business proposition…"

"Marshall, I don't think I can be your business partner, with the wedding and Juilliard and all…"

"Is that still on?" He joked, "Well, in that case I got two…"

Marshall led his brother to his fully stocked bar. It was the bigger one, of course, and the stools here were a bright green. Louis sat on one amused with him.

"If you have Evan's birthday party here, I'll throw you a bachelor's party here for free! Eh? What do you say?" Marshall served Louis with his favorite drink.

Louis sipped, but the bitterness was made worst by the fact that it had no ice, "Are you that desperate for funds?"

"I wouldn't call it desperate…"

"Enlighten me," Louis said, "How much of your money did you use in this affair?"

"All of it".

"All of it! Are you insane?"

"No. You're the one with the million responsibilities, man. Not me…" Marshall drank from the glass he'd served himself. His face revealed, he too missed the ice, "Listen, I just need enough to fix the place upstairs…"

"The dump has an upstairs?" Louis asked teasingly.

"It does and I need it. I want to turn it into an apartment…well, furbish it. It kinda already is an apartment…"

"You're living here aren't you?"

"Now I don't need nice things or classy ladies, like you…just, business…"

Louis looked around. This year would be the second of Evan's birthday he'd celebrate and he wasn't sure he wanted to do it at his brother's unnamed bar. However, Louis was sure he didn't wish to do it in the present state he was in and unlucky for him, the crisp and cold outside reminded him December was just around the corner.

"Is this really the place for children?" Louis asked.

"It will be, every other weekend" Marshall smiled, "That other bar right there: a cookies and milk bar for the minors…"

"…To have fun with the adults? You're nuts!"

"No, no!" Marshall sat in the stool next to him and turned to face him, "This chick I saw a few months ago told me her church had one of those every other Tuesday and made the biggest profit of the year! Apparently school kids have no place to hang…"

"And church lessons are weakening. It might be crazy enough to work…"

"It has to Lou! I've sucked up to one too many cougars in order to get myself home baked goods" he took a drink from his beer, after having thrown out the drink he had fixed himself. "All for the children".

Louis chuckled, "All for the children said Uncle Marshall…"

They sat in silence for a while. Things had changed so much for them, they couldn't believe how things between them had changed so little.

"Marshall?" Louis called, "Do you remember that time I told you about a dream I had with some girl's eyes…"

Marshall put the bottle down, "I do. Whatever happened?"

"Well, that's the thing see, I…"

"Hello?" their conversation was interrupted by a female voice that came from the main entrance door, "I am here to see Marshall Connelly. It's about the ad for a bartender?"

"We're back here, darling!" Marshall called up to her.

Louis turned around to witness what was going on. The lady was rather dramatic thought he, though Marshall was eating it up. She came in a long, red trench coat, with same colored hat and knee high boots. Her straight black hair covered her shoulders, which remained unmoved even with the movement by her hands, decorated with blue colored nails, removing her hat. Instinctively Louis looked at her eyes and for a minute almost looked into them. They weren't necessarily calming, but rather building up a storm inside of him, but they weren't blue. They were the blackest of blacks.

"Is she it?" Marshall whispered to his brother. Louis shook his head, "Good," said Marshall before making his way towards the pretty young lady.

"Mr. Connelly?" she shook hands with him, "I'm afraid I have no references. I just returned from Brazil".

"Oh, so you're Brazilian?" Marshall smiled.

"No, I'm from Oklahoma," the girl put her hands inside her pockets, "I'm a photographer. That's how I've traveled the world, but there are about ten million photographers in New York city and I'll need some extra money to pull through. I've been a bartender in all these places too, so you'll find me to be a real asset…"

Louis couldn't help but chuckle.

"My brother, Louis…" Marshall introduced them.

"Hi. Dylan Snow…" she smiled.

"Snow?" Marshall teased, "Like, with the seven little men?"

"Dwarfs…" Louis corrected him.

"I don't know anything about little men, but I do make an appletini to die for!" she smiled.

"Well why don't you show me, darling?" he said amused.

Louis wasn't up for this. Surely Marshall would hire the woman, not before drowning every fairy tale character in vodka and sexual tension. Today he'd gotten nowhere in the search for his dream girl, but apparently Marshall had found his.

Arthur sat and waited. He'd been waiting for a long time for Elle to come out of the building. He made sure not to miss her leave. It was a good thing he'd bet Gene Rollins that Adam would never kiss Gina, because he used that same money to buy himself a hotdog and a lemon-lime soda. He wasn't too hungry now, but it was getting later and he didn't want to get in trouble. Finally, he convinced himself it was time to leave. Just as he got up from the side walk and threw his backpack on his shoulders, Elle exited the building. She didn't look any different, so she must have been with someone she knew. As quickly as she could she took her fingers to her mouth and whistled loudly. A cab stopped at her feet and like that, Arthur's investigation was over.

Lyla was frustrated. It was a good thing they had to go to Juilliard today, though Lyla had cancelled her class. Her students wanted to see the philharmonic and she allowed them to go, as they would later try to recreate their favorite piece. In the meantime, she sat in an empty classroom; just she and her cello and the sadness she felt. Countless times she'd heard Louis advice Evan: 'your music is the one place you can escape to and just let it all out'. She had never really tried it herself, though she knew it to be true. That's how Evan had heard her that spring at the park. But now it was different. In all her childish dreams, Lyla's fairytales didn't allow for falling out of love like she and Louis were doing. With every note from her cello, she released pain from her heart. She was lost in a place of ecstasy and couldn't find her way out of Louis's grasp, even if he wasn't really grasping. Lyla didn't know what she held on to, but she held on to it for dear life, as the music from her cello build up the wall inside her that had begun to crumble.

"Lyla Novacek…" the voice was accompanied by clapping, "Of course it had to be you…"

The brightness of the light made it hard for Lyla to make out who was talking to her. She recognized his voice, but couldn't quite make up his face now or in her memory. Alongside a stray yellow ray finally came the man and she remembered. She remembered the sweetness in his eyes and the stillness of his voice. Lizzy had had a passionate crush on him that forced Lyla into hiding her crush on him as well. Nicolás Agostino was as handsome as he had been in his youth and Lyla couldn't contain her heart from skipping a beat as he came closer.

"You play like the angels…" he said taking her hand as she stood up.

"Nick. It's so nice to see you. How are you?" she said, blushing from the soft kisses to her hands.

"Always a lady, I see. I rather like it, I don't appreciate women throwing themselves at me. I am a married man, you know…" he winked at her.

"I do. Though I don't remember you having such a think Italian accent…" she teased.

"Well, I've been living there for the past five years, so…" he smiled, "But enough about me. Why are you still here?"

"Still here?" she laughed, "I just got back, really. But I followed your career you know. You've played in every almost every single instrument known to man, in most every important theater in the world, made that impossible leap into popular music possible and broken more hearts than you remember along the way, am I wrong?"

"Only a little," he smiled, "You forgot to mention the broad that stole my heart and the Broadway…"

"Broadway? Is that why you're here?"

"It is…"

"Well, Nick Agostino from Jersey, is there something you cannot do?" she said embracing him in celebration of his latest pursuit.

Nick laughed, "There is one thing. I cannot figure out why you look so sad and lonely?"

Lyla's heartbreak was reminded by the last person in the world she could ever see herself discussing it with. Again, Nick took her hands and kissed her.

"I'm ready to go home now…"

The old friends were interrupted by Evan's echoing voice. Lyla wondered how long he'd been standing by the door and what he had heard. Evan was so quiet there was no way for anyone to know where he was or what he did most the time. Lyla took her hands from Nick's and smiled at her son.

"Nick, this is my son Evan. Evan this is my friend, Nick Agostino"

"Hello" Evan forced himself to say.

"Wait, you? No!" he laughed, "And a musician, too! Wait, he isn't the famous August Rush I've been hearing about non-stop since I got here!"

"He is…" Lyla said proud.

"Well, it certainly is a pleasure to meet you. I hope that now that I'm establishing here we can work together…" Nick said extending his hands so Evan would shake it.

But August didn't shake it. He once heard Louis say he distrusted men with nice suits and clean shoes. Nick's black shoes were evidently polished and his suite had been pressed. Besides, Evan didn't feel like liking him.

"I wish to go now…" he said to his mother.

"Alright" Lyla picked up her things, "I guess I'll see you around?"

Nick nodded and smiled as he watched them leave.

If Ms. Lane had intended it, it would have never happened! She was at Over the Rainbow's to meet her new case, but instead found herself talking to Mr. Jeffries's case for about an hour. Hope was a lovely girl, but a weak case. Her father couldn't care less about her and no one could take her in. The people around her knew the system and preferred to store her in a boarding school for girls until she was old enough to get out of it herself. At least they saved her from rotting. A pity, a girl like Hope wouldn't benefit from the education Over the Rainbow had to offer, but then again, the private academy Richard had managed to enroll her in was perfectly fine. However kind and polite the conversation, Andrea Lane had bore from it by the minute! The only reason she stuck around was for Richard's sake…and because Hope was her case's roommate.

"Well I guess I better leave…" Ms. Lane stood up.

"Oh, surely you don't want to leave!" said Mrs. Goldman, "Ellie should be here soon. She does this sometimes…"

"So you let a young girl wander around the streets of New York by herself? Where does she go? What does she do? Why does she go to school elsewhere?" Ms. Lane could see Mrs. Goldman was overwhelmed by her questions, which made the case that much interesting.

"Because I don't like it here, besides the teachers just aren't good enough…"

"Oh, good! She's here!" Ms. Goldman was very relieved to see Elle enter the room.

Ms. Lane looked at the girl. She threw her backpack on her bed and took her hooded jacket off. Hope sat idly by and Mrs. Goldman tried to look busy, though she was only busy listening in. It didn't matter. Ms. Lane studied the girl. Curiously, she wore good clothes and had nice things. However, Elle's attitude was as rebellious and stand-offish as someone brought up on the streets.

"Hello, Elle. I am Andrea Lane, you're new case worker…" said Ms. Lane, not really trying to seem very friendly.

"My only case worker. I've never had a case worker," Elle smiled, "What do I need you for?"

"Well, don't you want to find a good family to take you in?" Ms. Lane asked as bait.

"I'm not really up for adoption. I'm just another girl in boarding school—who doesn't really go to boarding school" Elle said.

"You know about your parents?"

"No. But my benefactors have arranged my board and education. No need to get the lousy government involved. I refuse to be part of the system…"

"You are very opinionated for a fourteen year old…"

"Isn't it harder for teenagers to get adopted anyways?" Elle said, "Let's be real. It's easier and cost-efficient to just leave me here for my remaining four years and I'll be out of your hair".

"If only it was that simple," Ms. Lane sighed, "But do tell me, where were you? What could you possibly look for in the city?"

Elle didn't say anything. She also didn't count on Ms. Lane's knowledge and smarts. The psychologist turned case worker realized Elle eyed her bag constantly. Whatever she went into the city for, Ms. Lane could find a clue in there.

"I am your case worker because, believe it or not, we strive to work for the best interests of your children. At least I do. I am not going to go away, so you'll have to get used to my presence, questions, and inspections. May I see your bag please?"

Ms. Lane stared at Elle.

"You're looking at it" she pointed to the bed.

"I meant inside it dear, but you knew that, didn't you?" Ms. Lane walked toward it.

"No!" Elle got to it first, "That's mine and you'd be trespassing"

Ms. Lane smiled at her. Finally, a case worth her while, "Let me explain something to you, Elle, your parents are unknown, even on your birth certificate and your grandmother's dead. Your custody is now the government's and as a government official, you could say it's mine. Now I can be your friend or your enemy that is up to you. I promise, I am looking out for your best interest. So please…"

Elle let go of her bag willingly, "I don't wish for you to be either…"

It was alright. Ms. Lane wasn't aiming for any of the two, but it was obvious she had something to hide. With Mrs. Goldman's and Hope's eyes on her every move, Mrs. Lane opened the bag. Along with all the very unimportant things, that she guessed where important for the teenager, she found a thousand dollars cash, scattered all over.

"And now, Elle, this just got serious…" Ms. Lane said, just as Elle hoped she would.

1 A Day In The Life lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, EMI Music Publishing


	4. Chapter 4: And her name is Elle

**Episode 4:** "_And her name is Elle_"

**Ms. Lane observed Elle.** Knowing what was going on and the amount of money that was found in her bag, Elle did not look sorry, worried or scared of what the consequences might be. If Ms. Lane didn't know any better she might have thought the child wanted this to happen. The case was wildly interesting! Elle would be a tough egg to crack, but Ms. Lane was determined to cracking.

They had to wait for Margene Boyer, the manager, headmistress and co-owner of the place. She had been Ms. Lane's boss when she started working and so, Andrea didn't have high hopes of finding much of anything. Ms. Boyer only took in girls who would make a name for her school; politicians' daughters, millionaire heiresses or even celebrity children. Every now and then she would take on a 'pity case', but never out of the purity of her heart. Ms. Boyer always had a trick up her sleeve and Ms. Lane began to wonder what she could possibly gain from taking in Hope.

"What a shame, shame, shame…" said Mrs. Goldman, "She's such a good girl really…"

"No one is questioning that," Ms. Lane explained, "But she is an unsupervised minor and that can't be".

"Why _now_? I've been living here almost all my life." Elle asked, "Why is New York Child Services interested in me _now_? Are there no other unsupervised children wondering the streets of Manhattan?"

"Not running around the streets with a thousand dollars in their bags" Ms. Lane answered just as Ms. Boyer entered the office.

"Hello, Andrea. Good to see you again". She looked only at Ms. Lane.

Something in Ms. Boyer's gestures and lack of eye contact caused Ms. Lane to conclude her intervention was not welcome. Her reddish curls lacked taming and she continued to hide her intentions behind round eyeglasses. Ms. Lane couldn't help but feel embarrassed with herself; in her later years at Walden she had been nothing short of everything she hated about Ms. Boyer.

"Likewise, Ms. Boyer. You are probably curious as to why I am here or invol-…"

"Actually I thought you were here for Hope," Ms. Boyer interrupted while wiping her glasses with the end of her blouse, "I was quite surprised to discover your case was Elle. We really have no problem with Elle, you see. She is a regular schoolgirl here…"

"There are too many irregularities for this young woman to be a regular schoolgirl here. I just found a thousand dollars cash in her bag. How is that normal for _any_ child?" Ms. Lane continued, "And why doesn't she go to school here? Who is paying for her education and board and giving her vast amounts of money?"

"Her benefactor wishes to remain anonymous, but I assure you, Ms. Lane, there is nothing to worry about. Everything is in order and under control" Ms. Boyer said unmoved.

Ms. Lane didn't think Margene heard Elle scoff, as she continued, "They allowed her to go to whichever school she chooses and have set up a monthly allowance for her. Elle, have you been saving your allowance?"

"Yes, Ms. Boyer" she smiled sweetly like a great manipulator would.

"Does that not explain it, Andrea?" Ms. Boyer asked.

"Not really" Ms. Lane said annoyed at the way Ms. Boyer directed the question at Elle, "But it doesn't matter anyways. Whatever it is the agency is worried about, they will find it and do what is right for Elle".

"Very well, let them come themselves then. We've nothing to hide. Elle's benefactors have everything in order with us and if they wish to remain anonymous then we shall respect their wishes. There's no wrong in _that_?" Ms. Boyer waved her hand signaling the end of their discussion.

"I've been saving up for a school trip!" Elle added with a touch of excitement that was just a little cynic.

"Elle you are dismissed" Ms. Boyer then turned to Ms. Lane, "See? Now about Hope…"

"It takes great discipline, many years or a substantial allowance for a fourteen year old to save a thousand dollars, but I will accept your excuse for now" Ms. Lane's words stopped Elle from leaving, "Let me explain something since you seem confused. You imply that I don't work for New York Child Services and every other day that is true. However, when I am asked to get involved it's because something has gone terribly wrong and they don't want to take any drastic measures ahead of themselves—not without expert advice. That's where I come in. You can count on my return. I cannot disclosure the other irregularities, but I will be back and hopefully you'll be more willing? I advise you do not become an obstacle, Margene. As for you Elle, don't worry. Everything will be alright. Until then I bid you all a good night." Ms. Lane stood and made her way to the exit. _Now_, the conversation was over.

Ms. Boyer, Mrs. Goldman and Elle watched Ms. Lane leave. They couldn't see her smile, but Andrea Lane was smiling. Ms. Lane wasn't the best by mistake. She had earned it with sweat and tears. She didn't have to look back to know what the effect of her words had been on her audience. She had them just where she wanted and sure enough all three women were scared. Now the race to save their skins began. Surely Mrs. Goldman would protect her daughter, Margene, and Margene always looked out for number one. Whatever happened to Elle was really the question.

**The smell that impregnated the hallway was heavenly.** Lyla and Evan didn't have their usual snack at Le Pain Quotidien today, so they were a little more perceptive of it than usual. Nick Agustino's visit had thrown their whole routine off, or at least Evan seemed to think so. Then again, he had so much going on at schools and friends and his parents, Evan barely concentrated on anything at all! He felt tired yet jumpy and he'd never felt this way before. Having his parents had been like he'd imagined for about a second, afterwards it was just hard work. All he wanted to do was get home and sleep. That's why Evan was pleasantly surprised when they entered the apartment and discovered his dad had made dinner for them. It was a usual surprise they so dearly missed. Evan was happy, but his mother didn't seem completely so. Lyla couldn't wrap her head around what could be guilt ridding Louis to make them dinner instead of talking about it.

"Hey!" he said excitedly, "I hope you haven't eaten. How was your day?"

"It was good". Evan answered.

"Thanks, but I'm not very hungry..." Lyla said putting her cello down next to Evan's guitar.

Lyla wanted to say something that would let Louis know that things where not ok between them, but Evan's happiness to find his father again, and not the gloomy man he's been for the last few weeks, stopped her from it. Instead she smiled and went to her room. That was signal enough. Louis had no choice but to watch her leave and allow it. It wouldn't be fair to Evan. He made a mental note to address the issue with her later. For now he'd concentrate on his son, somehow trying to make up for the recent times he'd not been himself.

"She didn't have a good day, I think…"

Louis was surprised by Evan's comment. He wasn't usually the first one to strike up conversation. Then he felt guilty. Had he really been that dismissive of his son? Evan was clearly getting better and more acquainted with them and their relationship. Maybe it was up to Louis to step up and be a better dad and spouse, especially if he wanted to preserve next year wedding plans with Lyla.

"Probably because of Elle…" Evan continued talking as he ate dinner.

"Who's that?" Louis asked.

"She's a girl in my classroom…"

"Oh. Wait, was that today?" he had forgotten Lyla's first day with Evan's class was today.

"Yes. And Elle wasn't very nice".

"Why is that? Was your mom ok?"

Evan sighed, "Elle's just mean to everyone. Mom was ok until Elle started poking fun at her. I hope she behaves better tomorrow…"

The conversation about school was as short as that. Evan wasn't into any sports or other extracurricular activities. He then spoke of Juilliard and at Louis's insistence, Evan explained how his math test was postponed until further noticed. After making plans to practice on their guitars tomorrow night, their conversation, pretty much like dinner, came to an end. Dinner was good. The spaghetti and meatballs were always a big hit and was quickly becoming Evan's favorite dish. He wished they had more to speak about or even some math homework to do together, but he wasn't sure how to address his father. Evan knew something wasn't right and though he desperately wanted to know, he didn't think it was his place to question his parents. He asked permission to watch some television. After a while, Evan noticed his father quietly leave him for the privacy of his room and the company of his mother. Suddenly he felt a little sad, maybe jealous, as "Good Luck Charlie" started. Again, all he really wanted was a family—_his_ family back.

**Mr. Jeffries paced his living room.** Where could Arthur be? It was now about an hour later than usual! Even when he had football practice or any other kind of practice he was usually home by seven. He'd have to reconsider Arthur's demand for a cellphone. But he was worried and angry and today was just not the day to discuss giving him such device. Today he just didn't deserve it. When the doorbell rang, he hurried expecting it to be Arthur. However, Ms. Lane invited herself in after he opened it.

"It is ridiculous!" she said and Mr. Jeffries followed her into the living room.

"What is?"

"I just found a thousand dollars cash in an unsupervised minor's bag and apparently it's alright! Why aren't you listening to me? Where's Arthur?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out!"

"I'll go with you!"

Ms. Lane helped her friend into his jacket as they readied themselves to head out. Just as they were about to open the door, Arthur came in. He must have noticed how worried and angry they were for the first thing he did was apologize.

"Sorry doesn't cover it!" Mr. Jeffries explained, "Arthur, I am very trusting of you, but you cannot do things like this. Where were you?"

"I'm sorry," he said putting down his backpack and taking off his jacket, "I thought a friend was in trouble so I followed her to the city…"

"You were in the city? By yourself?" Ms. Lane asked, "Are kids not afraid of anything anymore? And what business could people your age have in the city?"

Arthur did his best to hide his smile. Ms. Lane had joined Mr. Jeffries team and was scolding him, just like real parents. The punishment didn't really matter if they could do more of this—being together, not necessarily punishing him.

"Why are you smiling? Richard, he's smiling!" Ms. Lane noticed.

"Arthur! This is no laughing matter!" Mr. Jeffries insisted.

"You should have at least called to ask permission, or at very least let us know where you were!" Ms. Lane said.

"I don't have a cellphone…" Arthur explained.

"Well, you're the only one!" Ms. Lane looked at Richard Jeffries, "Why doesn't he have a cellphone?"

"Andrea, I think you've lost focus. This isn't about a cellphone. He shouldn't be out in the city or anywhere else on his own and without permission. I don't care how well he knows the streets. He's under my care and responsibility now and has to abide by certain rules".

"I really am sorry, pops" Arthur wondered if Mr. Jeffries felt as weird hearing it as he did saying it, "But I didn't think she should be getting into any more trouble…"

"And of course it's a girl!" Mr. Jeffries sat down at the dinner table next to Andrea, who elbowed him and smiled, "I guess that's the stage we're at. I hope at least she's alright…"

"What's her name anyways?" Andrea asked amused.

"Elle Alexander," Arthur answered as his eyes desperately scanned the refrigerator.

"Elle?" Andrea walked over to him and closed the fridge, "You followed Elle this afternoon? Where did she go? What did she do? Why were you with her?"

"She goes to my school. Do you know her, Ms. Lane? We're in the same class—Elle, Aug and me"

"It's Elle, Evan and _I_, not me…but, that doesn't answer my questions, Arthur"

"He's hungry, Andrea, and so am I" Mr. Jeffries wondered if Ms. Lane could really be so focused as to border selfishness, "He'll answer your question during dinner. Join us".

"No, I really do need to go. I came over thinking you already ate" she said putting her jacket on again.

"Then go ahead and answer her questions, Arthur." Richard sighed.

"She was awful in Ms. Novachek's class and so I followed her. She went to this tall building in Madison Avenue, up to floor number ten!"

"The tenth floor…" Ms. Lane corrected again.

"Yeah. There she knocked on a door, some man answered and she asked him for money" Arthur squeezed behind Ms. Lane and to the fridge and drank some Gatorade, "She was in there for a long time. Then, when she came out, she got on a taxi and left. I took the bus and was stuck in traffic. If I had a cellphone I might've called".

"Insert begging here," Ms. Lane looked at Mr. Jeffries, "Thanks for the information, Arthur. I'll be on my way now. Should I count on you if I need any help with this case?"

Mr. Jeffries looked at Ms. Lane and then at Arthur. He was nodding his head and smiling widely, "Only if you help me with Hope's".

"Deal. Hope's a piece of cake!" Ms. Lane said her goodbyes and ran off.

"Andrea can do anything, can't she?" Arthur smiled.

"Crush on someone your own age, kid" Mr. Jeffries chuckled, "Come on, let's go have dinner. Just remember, you're still not off the hook!"

**Lyla didn't mean to be miserable.** She had already fallen to misery for over ten years and wasn't about to return to it. Truthfully she still felt kind of lost and very scared. Sometimes her life felt real, other times like a public doll house. Overthinking came as natural these days as not thinking had worked for her years prior. There were only a few moments where she felt herself. When she was with Louis, just the two of them, it was like being atop that rooftop again. There was continuity from the life she gave up. But she wasn't that girl anymore and Evan was a constant reminder of it. He reminded her of her father and the years of self-punishment she put herself through. Then moments such as this reminded her how the problem continued to lay within her.

The door to the room creaked as Louis opened it. He almost tiptoed towards her, maybe sensing her pain or guilty of her frustration, yet careful enough not to break her any more. Lyla waited for him to say something. Louis sat at her feet staring at her as if they just met. Maybe this was as difficult and confusing for him as it was for her. He moved closer. With one hand he reached her face and caressed it tenderly. Lyla let herself feel loved and beautiful in his embrace; regardless how upset she still was at him.

"I can't figure out why if I love you so much, my dreams are disturbed by a woman I don't even know..."he said, "I might be going mad"

"I don't think you are, though I'd like to understand and to help you".

Louis was silent. He stroked her hair gently. Lyla let a couple of warm tears moisten her face. His dream could not be the only source of her frustration, even if she couldn't pin-point another at the moment. Happiness always seemed to escape them the minute either one thought they had safely grasped it. For this family happiness was like sand in their hands.

"I felt a calling the night we met," Louis finally spoke.

His voice came like a whisper, so it took Lyla sometime to realize he was talking to her. She had turned away from him, distracted in her own thoughts. Now she turned again and looked at him. He wasn't looking at her. His blue eyes fixed at some unidentifiable point somewhere behind her, Louis struggled to find the right words to say to her. It wasn't on the count of fear, but on the count of ever being able to describe what he felt.

"Like a melody?" Louis smiled at her. He seemed unsure of what he said, but Lyla could tell he wasn't lying, "I only started hearing it again a couple of years ago, before I found you and about Evan. It called me to do something, and I never knew what…"

"Like the moon was talking again?" Lyla asked.

Louis couldn't tell if she was serious, but she wasn't mocking him either. He nodded and laughed. He must sound like a total loon! Maybe he should stop talking. No. He'd finally gotten this far, he wasn't about to turn back.

"I could hear him, you know…" Lyla broke the silence, "At least I was convinced I could, I am not really sure".

"Who?"

"Evan. When I lay in bed at nights, I could hear him. First it was his baby cries and it progressed to a calling, maybe it was the moon or maybe the same kind of melody that built up from inside me and made me believe that if I played again he would hear me…" Lyla looked at him and they both smiled, "I understand better than you thought I would, don't I?"

"You do" Louis let himself fall on their bed. Physically he didn't feel any better. Whatever was pulling had a real good grip on him. However, emotionally he felt calmer.

Lyla simply stared. She was as smitten with him as she ever was and she was afraid of it. He must have caught her staring because soon enough he turned his head to look at her. They didn't speak for a while. Louis returned to looking at the ceiling and Lyla sat hugging her legs with her arms, head resting on her knees.

"Maybe we're different and connect to people differently". Lyla offered her opinion not really sure where it came from. Her overthinking made it impossible for her to evaluate how rational or irrational her thoughts were. "I know it sounds crazy, but I knew Evan before I even saw him. Well, what he looked like anyways. The first picture I saw of him was just a confirmation on the visual I've always had…"

This was the first time Lyla talked about it. In fact, Louis couldn't remember a time where they talked about this at all. They had talked about what had happened to separate them and what they've been up to. They had never explored who one had been without the other. Louis could barely remember who he had been without her or Evan.

"How so?" he asked her.

"I always knew he had your eyes…"

Louis pondered upon her words before he spoke again, "You knew Evan because he had my eyes? You've seen my eyes and you knew of Evan's existence. That's amazing, but…who am I dreaming about then?"

However strange, Lyla thought she finally understood, "What else do you see in your dreams?"

"Just her eyes…" he admitted with a sigh that Lyla rather ignore.

"How do you know it's a she then?"

Louis sat up and looked at her, "I can hear her voice…"

Lyla didn't know what else to say. She had just confessed she could hear Evan and Evan had told everyone, over and over, how he could hear the music that built up inside of him and how it, alongside the moon, had helped him find his parents. What could Louis possibly need to find?

**There were about a thousand things Ms. Lane wanted to do and a million and one questions she wanted to answer.** Arthur's information was alarming enough to cause Ms. Lane to want to solve the case right away. However, she forced herself to go home. She hadn't eaten or rested all day. Unlike what people thought, being gifted was harder than being normal. All her mother had wanted to do was show off her girls. One was certified genius, the other a beauty. That was probably why both fathers had gotten full custody.

Ms. Lane biggest challenge was focusing, relaxing and prioritizing. When something got inside her head, there was very little anyone could do to keep her from it. She realized now her personality allowed little space for anyone else's needs, like Arthur's hunger or Richard's worry amidst her curiosity. Andrea understood at a very early age, her mother was unwell; especially unfit to care for them, but she always felt guilty for not being able to help her younger sister. As far as feelings and people where concerned, her exceptionally good skills where for naught. Clamming up was her specialty. Ms. Lane refused to believe she had inherited any of her mother's insanity. Practicing one of the relaxation methods her stepmother had taught her, Andrea calmed down and entered her apartment.

"Andy?"

She was surprised to find her sister in her apartment. Her long black hair was loose and she wore nothing more than a purple chemise. When they hugged, Andrea felt nothing more than bones.

"Dylan. What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you happy to see me?"

"For as long as I am fortunate to…" Andrea said taking her jacket off, "God knows where you ran off to after Peter's funeral!"

"Madrid, Egypt, Guatemala, Canada, Australia and Brazil!" Dylan smiled.

"Oh, so good use of your father's inheritance I see…"

"You know, if you want me to go, I'll go"

Andrea sighed, "I don't. I guess I'm just protecting myself for when you pull one of your ridiculous stunts and leave again".

"Maybe if you'd asked me, I could tell you what my plans were before you start putting up that wall of yours. Really, that must be so unattractive…" Dylan watched her sister put a TV dinner in the microwave, "How old are you, Andy?"

"What are your plans, Dylan?" Andrea asked making her way to her favorite bottle of white wine. The headache of having her baby sister around required some sedation.

Dylan took Andrea's glass from her and they sat at the kitchen table, "I want to stay, settle here with you". Ms. Lane laughed, "Well, it's not like you have a life of your own! I don't see any men lining up at your doorstep!"

"So you thought you'd bring them in?"

"Don't psychoanalyze me or whatever!" Dylan wailed, "That's not what I am thinking at all. I just don't want to end up alone. I figured by moving in with you there's a good chance we'll die together".

"Funny" Ms. Lane went to get her dinner out of the microwave, "You can stay. But I'm not going to baby you or clean up after your messes in or out of this apartment".

"What messes, Andrea? Is that your opinion of me?" Dylan pretended to be hurt, "As you might want to know, I already have a job—two jobs in fact!"

Ms. Lane sat to eat her dinner, "I'm listening".

"I am Dylan Snow: teacher by day, bartender by night, photography extraordinaire in the weekends!"

"That's quite a title…"

"So, I'll have to borrow some of your boring clothes for my interview tomorrow…"

"So you don't have a job"

"I do! I am a bartender by night. The teacher thing is a sub position, a maternity leave, but I'm the best for the job!"

"Really? Cause after graduation I don't think you took a single teaching job"

"Daddy knew that degree would come in handy one day. That day is tomorrow. Wish me luck!"

Andrea watched Dylan walk away. Without a doubt she had already taken over the guest room and their shared bathroom. It was, after all, always about her. And that was a trait both girls got from their mother: selfishness.

**Evan wondered what his parents talked about.** They'd been inside their room for a long time. Dinner had been cut short and it had been just him and Louis. He asked about school and Juilliard, and Evan obliged. He felt a little guilty now for not telling him about Nick, his mom's friend. Maybe that's what they spoke of. Evan didn't know what parents discussed behind closed doors. He wanted to believe they talked about the wedding, but he didn't think so. As he picked up his guitar to play a couple of notes he remembered Hope. He still couldn't talk to her.

He wasn't scared of it anymore, but he just didn't know what to say. Her grandmother and mother were dead and her father didn't want her. Evan couldn't say anything pretty enough to change her situation. He'd even asked the moon, but it wasn't answering. Lately, it didn't really speak to him as it used to. In fact, every time he got used to something it was quickly changed. He struggled with keeping up and not putting resistance, but he couldn't. For all the years he was at Walden County Home for Boys nothing had changed. Every day passed exactly as the day before. Then, when one thing changed everything just kept on changing.

He put his guitar back on its stand. He didn't want to play anymore. Evan became sad and a little frustrated. Distracted, he didn't notice his parents come out of their room. Louis made some popcorn to share with him and Lyla ate her dinner. They sat beside him on the couch and as he guessed they expected, he scanned the channels for something to watch. Like most every other night "The Parent Trap" was on. It wasn't his favorite movie, but he figured it had something to show him. After all, it portrayed two girls, not much older than himself who brought their family together. There was a lesson for Evan to learn, for obviously he was doing something wrong.

**There were rumors all day there was a new math teacher in Mrs. Steven's classroom.** Elle practically had stars in her eyes! By the time it was their turn to take mathematics, everyone was tired, including the new teacher, who had taken her blazer off and walked barefoot. She was younger than the rest of their teachers.

"Did someone take your shoes?" someone yelled from the back.

His classmates laughed at her as they came in and found their seats.

"Not unless they are a size eleven. Though I must admit those are hard to come by…"

The class laughed. Evan was expectant of what Elle would do to the new teacher. Everyone was.

"Check it out…" Arthur, who always sat behind him, whispered.

Everyone was indeed looking back at Elle. She wrung her fingers nervously and fidgeted with her bangs attempting to cover her face. The new teacher began roll call. Right after Melissa Alders' name was called Elle shouted hers.

"Excuse me?" the teacher asked.

"I'm the one after Melissa. It's Elle Alexander. There's a typo due to a mix-up". She explained.

"Really?" the teacher read her registry and then looked back at Elle, "Have we met?"

"I don't think so," Elle said avoiding eye contact, "In fact, you haven't introduced yourself yet…"

"I'm Ms. Snow, like Snow White or don't eat the yellow snow," she said poking fun at herself. "I haven't even met seven dwarfs. I actually only know two…"

"Two out of seven's not so bad!" Arthur smiled.

"What percentage would that be then?" Ms. Snow asked him and luckily he didn't have to answer because a pizza delivery guy, carrying six boxes of pizza interrupted them.

Even Evan became hungry when Ms. Snow placed them on her desk to pay the man.

"The headmaster is going to freak!" said Gina.

"Are we going to eat those?" Roger, the boy who'd asked where Novachek came from, asked.

"It depends…" Ms. Snow said and once again she was interrupted. This time by the Headmaster.

The elder kids called him Mr. Washington because he looked just like the President. Some of them called him that too.

"Ms. Snow, what is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"These eighth graders should not be discussing fractions, but rather ratios, variable equations, among other things. I cannot let them fall behind. So the best way to refresh their memories on fractions and teach them about proportions is by sharing something they know and will absolutely work for…"

"The method is quite unorthodox…"

"Headmaster Braverman, I am here to teach. These children learn better when you speak their language. If you take a chance with me, I can guarantee you higher grades and better understanding."

"Like you can guarrantee that…" Gina muttered.

"Watch me…" Ms. Snow smiled and winked.

**How could she compete against pizza?** Lyla watched Mr. Braverman leave, after asking the new teacher to meet him when school was over. Clearly Lyla needed less distracting methods of winning the kid's attention, though she was sure in today's class she would struggle. They were practically having a party in the classroom across her own. She did not need any additional stress sources than the memory of the day before.

Time had flown by as she brainstormed and worked on a new idea for today's class. She would later had to change her schedule and readjust her lesson plans, but it was worth it. Lyla even wrote a reminder to ask permission to take the class to a special performance at Juilliard. That would make it more fun. When the bell rang Lyla was still pretty much in the middle of organizing her new plans. The kids came in with Elle in tow. Lyla took a deep breath and smiled at them.

"How are you guys today?"

There was no enthusiasm. She would thing they'd have energy after eating all that pizza, but instead they were drowsy. Their sleepiness did not mix well with her new plan, but she had no other choice.

"Well, you're going to have to wake up for me a little because we have a little bit of a game today…"

"Can't we just sleep it off?" Thomas, one of Arthur's friends, asked.

"Yeah. It's Friday anyways. We won't remember a thing after the weekend!" Gina added.

"We didn't care yesterday what makes you think we care today?" Elle asked putting her sunglasses on.

"Glasses off, Elle" Ms. Novachek warned, "If nothing else motivates you then remember this is a class you need to pass. You guys could just give it a try and make it easier for all of us?"

"I see you're not above begging…" Elle muttered placing her sunglasses on her head.

Arthur scoffed, "You know what? I think music class is better than playing with play-dough! Also, I'd rather have music class before going home than History or Math and I'd also like to pass my class and go on to the ninth grade!"

"The high school building is way cooler than this one!" Sandy, a freckled face blonde said.

"Did you know that college recruits have music scholarships?" Frances Long, the class president, added, "I hear big classical instruments are on demand. Like the clarinet or the cello. I mean, _anyone_ can play guitar!"

"Anyone but you, Fran…" sing sang Elle as hid her eyes behind her Ray-Bans.

"Enough!" Ms. Novachek clapped her hands, "Elle, you sunglasses please? As for the rest of you, here's what we're going to do" Elle dragged her feet and handed her sunglasses. "Thank you. Now, has anyone heard of Vivaldi?"

Elle sighed as she walked past Evan and to her seat, "I'm sure Evan has…"

The class laughed. Evan blushed.

"Elle!"

"What Ms. Novachek? Did I lie?" Elle tried to contain a smile, "Evan! Don't you?" Evan nodded, "See?"

Lyla sighed, "Vivaldi was a violinist, great composer, from Venice. 'The Four Seasons' are his best work"

"We're not talking about the hotels are we?" Roger asked.

"No, Roger. 'The Four Seasons' is a series of string concertos. I will play each for you and you will guess which season it could be referring to. You'll then each pick a season, seat in groups and listen to it. You'll start writing a story to go along with the melody that you will finish for Monday!" The class groaned, "Yes, you have homework".

"What should we write about Ms. Novachek?" Frances asked.

"Anything you'd like, really!" Lyla smiled, "I would rather you pick a memory or a feeling—some kind of experience that the concerto reminds you of. In fact, let's do that! You'll bring an picture along with it, which you can make or borrow from your parents, and you'll read your essay out loud to the rest of us. So, no more than one page, ok?"

"Are you making this up as you go?" Elle asked.

"I thought I'd spice things up a little," Lyla smiled, "Therefore you'll be evaluated on both your written and oral work. Let's begin."

A good grade was still motivation enough for eighth graders. They sat in mostly complete silence while she played the music. Elle made a popping noise from blowing her gum, and after she was asked to throw it out, she started hitting her desk with a pencil. Lyla could see the whole classroom tired of her antics.

Very quickly the class was over. They moaned and wailed. The kids wanted to continue working on their project. Lyla took note of the season each kid had and Arthur reminded them they could try and find the music on either iTunes or YouTube. Lyla realized there was a lot she had to learn from Arthur and the rest if she wanted to keep her class up to date. Evan stayed on his desk as she gathered her stuff to leave, when Elle walked up to her desk and blew a bubble from a new gum.

She extended her hand to Lyla, "My glasses?"

"Was your season Summer, Elle? You are quite summery on this gray November day…" Lyla gave the girl her sunglasses and watched her put them on.

"I know I'm fabulous…" she sighed dramatically, "And no, I got Winter."

"Please continue to control your attitude in this class Ms. Alexander," Lyla said before Elle was outside the door, "How would your parents take a call from your teacher?"

"Yeah, let me know how that goes…"

Lyla looked out the door to watch her student leave. She bumped into Louis in the hallway, but continued her way as if anything. Louis stood looking back wondering what had just happened and then turned to look at Lyla. She sighed and smiled.

"Dad!" Evan smiled when he saw Louis come in.

"Hey, kid" Louis smiled, "Mr. Jeffries asked us to take Arthur with us to the restaurant. He'll meet us there for dinner. Apparently he's found something in Hope's case".

"I hope its good news…" Lyla smiled.

"Me too…" said Evan.

"Knock, knock, neighbor…" said Ms. Snow as she came in with a box of pizza, "Last period is my office hours, so I decided to go to each of my neighbors and offer a slice. I was waiting for your class to be over. What is it again?"

"Music. I'm Lyla Novachek" Lyla smiled and shook hands with her.

Ms. Snow then looked at her desk and saw Louis and Evan standing by it.

"I know you," she said to Louis, "Where have I seen you before? We met at the bar!"

Lyla looked at Louis confused.

"Yes. I'm Louis," he smiled.

"Louis! That was it! It's a small world isn't it?"

"She went in for an interview at Marshall's place…" Louis explained and it all made sense to Lyla.

"Dylan Snow, enchanté" she introduced herself again, "Mr. Connelly hired me so I'm your son's new math teacher by day and bartender by night".

"Impressive," Louis said for the lack of better words.

"You know, Mrs. Steven's is out on maternity leave. She'll be back at some point…" Lyla didn't want to rain on her parade, but permanency wasn't easy. She'd work for a year at the academy and only just was made permanent.

"Yes, but I am much more interested in Mrs. Burns class than in math—I think Evan will agree with me. I have extensive art and music background, so if you ever need any help I am free last period".

"Thank you Ms. Snow" Lyla wasn't going to take her up on that.

"We actually better get going" finally Louis spoke, "We have to find Arthur and make our way to the city…"

"Oh, fun! Wish I could go but I have a date with Headmaster Braverman right now…" she joked, "Have fun and study hard Evan. You were really quiet today in class, and it wasn't because your mouth was stuffed with pizza…"

Ms. Snow left with her untouched offering towards the headmaster's office. Lyla couldn't believe Snow took her job so lightly, Louis was entertained by the fact that she was Marshall's bartender by night and Evan was glad she didn't tell her parents about the five slices he ate. They might think he wasn't hungry.

**Hope walked the corridor up to Ms. Boyer's office with her heart pounding hard and fast.** It was almost painful. She couldn't figure out what she'd done wrong to be called into her office from the minute she got out of the bus. Elle told her not to stress about it for it wasn't worth it. But the fact that Hope wasn't even allowed her after-school snack was prove of the urgency of the matter. Hope built up enough bravado to seem calm. She'd even pray about it and she hadn't done that in a very long time.

It was a big surprise to find Reverend J waiting for her in Ms. Boyer's office with Mrs. Goldman. Ms. Boyer wasn't actually there, but Hope didn't care for that. She hurried into the Reverend's open arms and hugged him. She dearly missed him and everyone in their congregation. She hadn't seen them since she arrived at Over the Rainbow about 53 days ago. Hope was so happy she cried and she didn't think it possible. She finally understood why her grandmother cried when they were given the house.

"How are you Hope?" he asked.

"I'm good. How are you? How's everyone?" Hope sounded excited.

"They're all well and wanting to see you," Reverend J explained, "Today Mr. Jeffries has asked permission for you to join us for dinner, me, him and Arthur, Evan and his parents".

Hope's eyes lit up with excitement and delight! She hadn't done anything special since she got there, not even for her birthday. Sometimes, if she was lucky, Elle would play her music and teach her all about it. She even let her try on her colorful clothes! But Elle was unpredictable and sometimes she was awful.

Mrs. Goldman hurried Hope to get out of her uniform and into some nice clothes for her outing. Though, Elle was in a good mood today, Hope didn't think she should ask to borrow that nice pink dress in the closet. She didn't want her friend to feel bad for not being invited or able to go out. But when Hope came to their room, Elle wasn't there.

**She would not allow herself to fear Madison Avenue at night**. Elle had her pocket knife and some pepper-spray should she need to use it. Inside her pocket she had her cellphone recording every sound, should anything unexpected happen. The door wasn't even guarded this time. Elle snuck in the building and took a corner elevator to the tenth floor. She knocked on the same door she'd done the day before: number 1009. There was no answer. She knocked again, a little harder this time.

"Can I help you, little girl?" asked a man who came from the other end of the hallway. He was the janitor.

"I can't get in…"

"Did you leave something in the move?" he asked finding the keys to open the apartment.

"The move?" He must be referring to their recent move here. She had recently found out herself this was the apartment. To show she was considerate, she gave them some time to settle in before she came to visit. "Yes. I'm in school so I haven't gotten around to asking for my own key, yet".

"No problem, but I cannot keep doing this for you…"

The door swung open and Elle jumped in. The apartment was empty. The decorations, furnishing and everything she had seen the day before was gone. Vanished as if it had all been her imagination! Her eyes stung from the tears forming behind them. Elle looked around for something she could take and make her excuse to the janitor believable. There was nothing.

"I guess I was wrong" she turned around to say, but the janitor had already moved along the corridor and resumed his vacuuming. "Thanks" she said in a low voice and exited before he took a better look at her and recognize her.

**Hope didn't want the night to end!** She was having such fun! They all were, even Evan's weird Uncle Marshall who was usually very bored. Hope hadn't been out with them since before her grandmother passed. This was a bittersweet reminder of happier times and new memories. Though Evan was quiet most of the night, Hope was happy to see him and his family. Arthur's telling of what happened in math class with the colorful Ms. Snow was very funny. Hope voiced out her jealousy for the eighth graders as all Ms. Snow used for her lesson with the sixth graders were Oreos and marshmallows. Marshall added that he too had had fun in Ms. Snow's night course the day before, but Reverend J stopped him from telling his story.

The three kids had gotten tall glasses of chocolate ice cream, theirs with nuts hers with sprinkles, while the adults had asked for drinks for dessert, except for Reverend J who only had water. They talked of funny things and pleasant things and that's why Hope didn't feel like things were any different. She wished her grandmother was there with them a little more than she would have liked, but she was still having a good time. She was shaken out of her thoughts when Mr. Jeffries's cellphone went off. What started with a cheery greeting turned into a serious call that changed the mood for their whole party.

"What's wrong?" Lyla asked, "Is it bad news?"

Mr. Jeffries ended the call and looked at Hope before answering Lyla's question. Again Hope had the very bad feeling like she was in trouble.

"That was Andrea Lane," Mr. Jeffries started, "Apparently she was called by the agency because Over the Rainbow's headmistress states that we took Hope without her permission. I have to return her right away…"

"I don't understand," Reverend J questioned, "How is that possible? The lady back at the school assured me it was all in order!"

"And it very well was, Reverend. I did the paper work myself, and permission was granted. I don't know what could have gone wrong"

Hope didn't fully understand, or rather she didn't want to. However, if Mr. Jeffries was worried, she had learned she should be worried too. He tried to smile for her, for them all, but it wasn't really working. The fun was over.

"Will you please watch Arthur until I've sort out this mess?" Mr. Jeffries asked Lyla and Louis, who accepted gladly.

"I will come with you" said Reverend J.

"Alright." Mr. Jeffries sighed, "Come on Hope. We better take you back and see what this is about…"


	5. Chapter 5: A Good Little Rebellion

**Chapter 5: "A good little rebellion"**

Reverend J's soft request for Ms. Lane to calm down was for naught. Ms. Lane's voice only grew louder until it made it seem as if she was the only one inside the office with Ms. Boyer. Hope knew Ms. Lane, Mr. Jeffries and Reverend J where only trying to help, but she couldn't help but feel as if they were also making things worse for her. It had been two days since the night Ms. Boyer accused Mr. Jeffries of taking her out of Over the Rainbow without her consent. She was lying, but very skillfully because Hope had even missed school under Ms. Boyer's lockdown. Elle was bringing her homework and excusing her with her teachers.

Ms. Boyer had even brought in an old friend of hers, Marian Hayes, to help contribute to the case. That's probably why Ms. Lane and Mr. Jeffries were so angry. Only one person was supposed to work on her case, Mr. Jeffries, and only one other person was officially asked to intervene: Ms. Lane. Hope couldn't understand why everything got so complicated for her and she certainly did not know if she could do anything at all to change it. Her situation didn't seem to be getting any easier and all she really wanted was to get out and live happily.

The office went silent and Hope stood from her seat outside the door waiting to know what happened. Reverend J asked Ms. Lane to please calm down and let the headmistress talk. Whatever she began to say, Mr. Jeffrie's didn't like it because his voice was heard right after. He discussed Ms. Boyer's lack of morality when Ms. Lane opened the door and walked outside. Hope was startled. Ms. Lane looked at her quickly, but hurried out. Mr. Jeffries came after, assured her everything would be alright and then hurried after Ms. Lane. Reverend J stayed behind and wished Ms. Boyer a good afternoon before coming into view. He closed the door behind him and stood in front of Hope. Whatever he was going to say wasn't easy and Hope could tell the strain of him having to say them.

"Hope…"

"I'm in trouble?" she asked, though it didn't sound like a question.

Reverend J sighed. "Let's pray…"

"I don't want to pray" Hope said angrily.

"Hope!" the Reverend was a little surprised to hear her talk like that. He didn't judge her, because he thought that after all her previous experiences a little rebellion was to be expected. "I know things have been very difficult for you, but you must trust in our Lord. He will fix everything in His own way and in His own time…"

"Fix things?" Hope interrupted him, "Reverend J, I've been waiting for things to get fixed since forever. Every time they seem fixed, something happens. I understand what you're saying, but right now, I don't want to pray. I want to go to bed".

Hope didn't say goodbye or let her old friend say anything else. It deeply hurt her, but she felt what she felt. Surely, Reverend J would do enough praying for the both of them anyways. Hope walked down the hallway and up the stairs into her room. The door was ajar so she figured Elle was inside and probably not alone. Elle was indeed inside but there was no one else. Hope figured she must have not noticed the door remained open. Elle hated to see the door to their room open. When she walked in, her roommate was styling her hair in her usual waves. Hope fell to her bed and watched. Elle wore blue skinny jeans, a red top and a black jacket. It seemed like leather but she wasn't sure. Her boots barely reached her knees and where not that high either.

"How did it go?" she asked. Hope admired Elle's ability to seem careless. In fact, Hope didn't know much of what Elle cared about, if she cared for anything at all. She cared about music, but not in August's obsessive way to like it more than food, and then there was her freedom. Elle really cared about that!

"I don't know," Hope sighed, "There was a lot of yelling and angry faces, but no one said anything to me. If things aren't bad, they certainly aren't good either. I hate it!"

"Looks like you could use a night out. Wanna come with?" Elle said smiling.

"We can't go anywhere without Ms. Boyer's permission. And anyways, where would we go? We're kids!" Hope explained.

Elle chuckled, "_You_ were gone Friday night without, Boyer's permission".

"You know that's not true!" Hope pouted.

"I know. I'm sorry. I was only making a little joke," Elle said sitting next to Hope, "I'm not asking for the Queen Bee's permission, Hope. I'm just leaving."

Most all the girls at Over the Rainbow disliked Ms. Boyer and called her the Queen Bee. Hope didn't understand what Elle was up to. Everyone commended her for being Elle's longest lasting roommate, but Hope didn't even know why they did. They just got along.

"How? Where are you going?"

Elle looked at Hope and whispered, "To a Darling Diamond concert in the city. I got two VIP passes, just in case you wanted to come…"

"Darling Diamond? Don't you hate Darling Diamond?" Hope asked.

Maybe she did know a thing or two about her roomie. Elle loved music but hated Darling Diamond's music. Darling was a big country star that was recently famous for doing pop covers. Her new original songs pop album was coming out in May and a magazine had declared it to be the one album the entire country was waiting for. Of course, the magazine people didn't know Elle Alexander.

"I do. But when I heard she was in town, I thought you'd like to see her and experience a real concert—or as real as it's gonna get with Diamond. Now that you have this thing with Ms. Boyer, you need to have a little fun. What do you say? These tickets didn't come free you know!"

Elle's smile and excitement were contagious. Hope thought about it and though she wasn't really comfortable with the idea of running away, she accepted and let Elle pick out her clothes for tonight. Hope was already in trouble for something she did not to. As Elle put it, maybe now Hope should really give the Queen Bee a reason.

"Andrea, would you wait up?" Mr. Jeffries yelled as he tried to keep up with her.

"Richard, what is the matter? Why is Hope's case so important to you?" she asked turning around, "You know what she's doing don't you?"

"What. Do. You mean?" Mr. Jeffries struggled to catch his breath.

"She's pulling you out of Hope's case to assign it to me and have Elle Alexander's case ignored!"

Mr. Jeffries became angry, "Is that all you care about, Andrea? Extreme cases? Mysterious cases that only you can solve? Do you even care about the children under your care at all?"

"My profession does not allow for emotional attachments and I am living proof of it!"

"You lost nothing, Andrea! Stop pretending like you did…" he yelled.

Ms. Lane looked at her old friend and felt a deep pain in her chest. "She might look like Mira, but she isn't Richard. Hope is not your daughter…"

Mr. Jeffries was silent. He finally understood why his wife always said he and Lane could never work together. They knew too much about one another to keep things strictly professional. However, Hope's resemblance to his daughter was not the only reason why he was so taken by the little girl. He met her about a year ago at Evan's concert and had bonded as she and Evan remained close friends of Arthur. Ms. Lane knew that, but being her usual self, she had to blame him for things not turning out the way she wanted them too.

"I don't have to explain myself further to you," he replied angrily, "Though I don't understand why this case is so important"

"That's why…" Ms. Lane pointed behind Mr. Jeffries and when he turned around he saw the two girls, Elle and Hope, sneaking out, or rather it would be sneaking out had they been hiding and trying to keep low.

Elle came out of the front entrance and walked outside as if she owned the place. Hope followed, careful not to get discovered. Richard and Andrea knelt behind their car.

"We have to stop them…" Mr. Jeffries said.

"No." Ms. Lane whispered. She was carefully recording the girls' exit with her mobile phone, "You really ought to learn a thing or two from kids today. I'll send you this video and you take it to your boss. It should allow us to remove both girls from this place and be done with it. I'll follow them…"

"You'll follow them? What for?"

"I got to know where they're going to. Otherwise, if they escape again we won't have a clue where to look for them first."

Brilliant! Mr. Jeffries had to admit that his friend was a mastermind and very smart to come up with solutions on the spot. He was about to leave after Ms. Lane's car followed the taxi the girls took, when he saw Reverend J come out of the building and hatched a great idea. He asked the Reverend to stay around the premises and wait for his call telling him to go to Ms. Boyer and ask to visit with Hope. By the time the headmistress admit the girls are gone, Mr. Jeffries could have the warrant to remove them from the place. Although, Reverend J wanted to know what would happen after the girls were taken from Over the Rainbow and he couldn't answer that, he obliged and agreed to follow Mr. Jeffries orders. While he drove back to the city, Mr. Jeffries hoped Ms. Lane had thought that far.

First they did their homework, then they played video games and a bit on Evan's guitar before sitting to watch television. Mr. Jeffries was taking longer than expected and Arthur had done just about everything Evan had offered they do. Ms. Novachek sat at the table working on a special lesson for the following day and Louis went to visit his brother. Arthur almost wished he was back in school. He was so bored.

"Do you want to play checkers?" Evan asked, but Arthur shook his head and returned to the TV.

"I could use you boys' opinions on this…" Lyla said noticing their boredom. Fact was, Richard texted saying he'd be late. Judging by the hour Lyla assumed Arthur would be sleeping over and if that was the case, she needed to keep the boys entertained.

"What are you working on Ms. Novachek?" Arthur asked glad to have some stimulating company. The fact of the matter was Evan could have watched television until bedtime.

"It's my lesson plan for tomorrow" she explained as they boys came closer, "Since your assignment on the Four Seasons is up, I want to integrate some videos of stories other people have come up with using the same compositions by Vivaldi".

"That sounds cool Ms. N!" Arthur said excitedly. Lyla blushed when Arthur nicknamed her Ms. N. That meant the kids were starting to accept her.

"Does it? I am hoping it will bring new light to the usual awful Mondays" Lyla smiled, "Arthur, you might have to stay over tonight. Do you have keys to your apartment? You'll need some of your stuff".

"Well, how come?" Arthur asked and Lyla worried.

There was a time where Arthur and Evan really enjoyed sleepovers and had them all the time. Since last summer it wasn't so. Arthur was enrolled at a sport's camp he wanted to go to, while Evan attended Juilliard. She worried that her son's only friend might drift away. Suddenly, Lyla's phone went off. It was Mr. Jeffries asking if Arthur could spend the night. He promised to explain everything the next day for at the moment, he had quite a lot to do. As Lyla confirmed Arthur of his staying with them, she could have sworn he looked disappointed.

"I hope everything's ok with Hope". Arthur said and Evan couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Tell you guys what," Lyla tried to turn the mood around, "Why don't we go to Arthur's place and get whatever he needs and then have some ice cream or frozen yogurt or whatever? Maybe we can even rent a movie on our way back, but you guys aren't staying up too late cause we all have to go to school early tomorrow…"

"And I have to finish my assignments…" Evan said embarrassed.

"I guess its back here after ice cream because I have a couple of unfinished homework to do too…" Arthur smiled at Evan.

Lyla didn't know how much longer this being a mom thing would be simple, but for tonight, she wanted to enjoy it.

Louis helped Marshall move into the upstairs of his bar. "Halfway Escape" he was going to call it since its location was just about fifteen minutes to the city and twenty to the suburbs. Marshall hoped for it to truly be an escape that brought in great customers. The living space was still a dump in Louis's opinion, but he could see Marshall living here. It was a big open space as Louis realized he didn't know what his brother's plans were for it. There was only one bedroom and one bath.

"Are you sure about this Marshall?" Louis asked placing a lamp on the floor. There were no tables.

"There's no turning back now so yeah…" Marshall laughed and took two cold beers from his fridge. "I've got high hopes for this place!"

"Yeah? Well, how are you going to get word out there that this place even exists?" Louis asked.

"That's all taken care of by our friend Ms. Snow…" he smiled, "She told me she was Evan's math teacher and that he was pretty bad at it…"

They laughed.

"He struggles, but he'll be alright," Louis said, "How is Ms. Snow going to do it?"

"Wildly I hope" Marshall took a sip of his beer, "Seriously, now. She's taken a few pictures of the place for magazines and ads and tonight she's out asking a celebrity friend if she'll be here opening night. I hope she says yes…"

"A celebrity friend?" Louis laughed, "I should start discussing with Lyla you staying with us while you get back on your feet! This is going to flop!"

"Thanks for the encouragement." He replied, "Doesn't say much about you if you have to _ask_ permission for your only brother to stay over, but that's none of my business is it, Lou. By the way, did you ever find out about the woman?"

"What woman?"

"Your dream girl…"

Marshall was only just mocking him, but Louis realized it had been a while since he either had that dream or felt uneasy. Maybe it was due to a source of stress as Ms. Lane said that one time he asked her.

Hope had never seen so many lights and such a busy place as the city! She's been there during the day, but it was a completely different scene by night. Elle showed a guard her tickets after assuring him her parents were looking for a place to park. Hope cautioning Elle about lying, but it didn't make a difference. She probably already knew that and didn't care. As VIP pass holders, she and Elle were led to a small area where the some fruit, sweets and crudities where served. They each got a picture of Darling that she would be around to signing shortly.

"Aren't you excited?" Hope squealed in spite of herself. She never did anything that went against the rules and it really did bring a rush of adrenaline. There were only three other girls around, two of them winners of a sweepstake, and one of them whose mother paid to have her meet the artist. Hope wondered if she could have seconds on the punch and cookies and when she turned to ask Elle she noticed that her friend was rather serious. Elle hadn't said a word since they were brought into the room. She just stared at a short hallway that led to the door that, a cast member explained, led to Darling Diamond's dressing room. As Hope was going to ask her, she realized the door was beginning to open and soon Darling came to sight. Her blonde hair shone like a star at night.

"Hey, Darling!" Elle yelled and immediately Darling closed her door again. The other girls wailed and Hope felt like wailing herself after coming this close to meeting her! The concert would start soon and Hope didn't think they could stay much afterwards waiting for an autograph.

"What are you girls doing here?"

Hope and Elle turned around to find Ms. Snow standing behind them. She looked different. She wore a red corset and skinny black jeans with a big belt around her waist. Her hair was pulled in a ponytail and her lips were very red. Around her neck, Ms. Snow carried a VIP pass pretty much like theirs.

"Ms. Snow?" Hope was surprised to see her.

"Who are you here with?" Ms. Snow asked smiling.

"Ms. Novachek…" Elle lied, "She's personal friends with Hope and came across these and Hope asked me to tag along".

"Oh, really?" Ms. Snow was no fool. Clearly Elle was lying. She could tell, because she was a child liar herself. Dylan looked at Hope. The poor girl couldn't glance straight to her eyes. Then she looked at Elle, who on the contrary, fixed her stare green eyes on Ms. Snow's stare. She was good. But there was something about Elle that seemed so familiar.

"Alright, Diamond fans," said a cast member, "Darling will see you in her dressing room a party at a time. Dylan, I told her you were here and she said you could pass right along. As for the rest of you, why don't we start with Trish Carmichael?"

"Me!" The girl whose mom bought the ticket yelled as she hurried through the hall with her mom and the assistant.

Another cast member came from the room, "Now keep in mind that the shows about to start and Ms. Diamond might not have time to see all of you…"

Elle scoffed, "She has to. We are paying customers and there are laws that protect us against fraud. If Darling doesn't see all of us, she's breaking her contract to us. It's in the fine print…"

Ms. Snow stared at Elle. She wasn't nervous to speak as she did and she certainly wasn't excited to be meeting the singer. Then again, that cocky gesture and smile…

"I know where I've seen you before now…" Ms. Snow said to Elle.

Hope looked at Elle, confused. Did Ms. Snow know Elle from somewhere either than class? Apparently so, because Elle looked scared to death. "Isn't she your math teacher too, Elle?"

Elle nodded.

"Aren't you…"

"You two!" a guard just came in and pointed at them, "Your guardian is here to take you home..."

"What?" Ms. Snow forgot her question from before, "Elle and Hope did you girls sneak out?"

"Apparently they did, ma'am. And I need to take them with me…" the policeman said.

Hope's cheeks burned with embarrassment and her heart beat fast as she realized she'd been caught and was possibly in more trouble than before.

"Well, I'm going with them!" Ms. Snow decided.

Hope was surprised Elle didn't put up a fight. Maybe she was glad they didn't have to meet Darling after all. Hope kind of hoped they had. Darling Diamond's music was the one thing she had discovered on her own. Elle introduced her to a numerous other artists, but there was something about Darling's struggles and the way she overcame them that Hope felt she could relate to. She would have loved to meet her and make an honest opinion about her herself. Elle looked back a time or two, but Ms. Snow's careful glance was on her. Downstairs by the ticket booth was Ms. Lane patiently waiting for them. Hope looked at Elle in search of some reaction, but she showed no emotion.

"Andy?" said Ms. Snow.

"Dylan? What are you doing here?"

Hope was just as surprise they knew one another and the women where to see each other standing there. Ms. Snow was unable to answer for Elle took the women's confusion as her opportunity to flee. Ms. Snow and Ms. Lane tried to grab her, but Elle was smart to run inside the concert hall with the rest of the people who were just coming in as the concert was about to start. Ms. Lane had to buy a ticket to go inside. Ms. Snow and Hope followed her through the crowed, but they realized that looking for Elle there would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. They gave up and Hope was allowed to stay to watch the concert with Ms. Snow while Ms. Lane decided to wait for Elle at the exit.

The crowd went wild and the stage burned with fire and other special effects. Hope loved every minute of it. Ms. Snow promised to take her in to meet Darling after the concert was over. They sang to a couple of songs and danced to the rest of them, but their happiness was over as the concert ended. Darling wouldn't see them and so they left with the rest of the people. Ms. Lane had gathered a couple police men to help her catch Elle should she try to run again, but the child outsmarted her. Elle was nowhere to be found.

"I didn't mean to get in trouble…" Hope said to Ms. Lane as they drove back to Over the Rainbow's.

"You followed Elle out. You knew you could get in trouble, so you are now accountable to whatever happens…"

"That's somber, Andrea!" wailed Ms. Snow who sat on the front seat, "You so sound like your dad! You've got to lighten up. She was only trying to have fun".

"I'm not at all against fun as much as I am against stupidity. Hope is a smarter girl than that and so is Elle." Ms. Lane said, "I just can't figure out why she wants to get in trouble so much? Who is she provoking? What will she get out of it?"

Hope saw Ms. Lane looking at her through the rearview mirror. Her green eyes and stern stare intimidated her. Now she understood why Arthur had grown such a respect for her.

"I promise I don't know anything" Hope said, "All she told me was that she had the tickets and she got them for me. She didn't want to see me sad because of what's going on with Ms. Boyer and my guardianship situation".

"So she gets you into more trouble and you accept knowingly?" Ms. Lane scoffed, "That's not very smart".

Dylan stared at Ms. Lane. Hope sighed and cried softly, "I always did the right thing and my life still sucked. I wanted to see if doing the wrong thing would make it better. At this point I don't see how it can make it any worse…"

The sisters looked at one another and pitied the child. They knew where she was coming from, but they rather not speak and compromise themselves in front of the other. The less said between them made it easier for Dylan and Andrea to lead separate lives even if the currently live under the same roof.

"Look, Hope," Ms. Snow turned around to talk to her, "I know what you must feel like, but what you'd need is an outlet; something to get all the stress and anger and frustration out of your system so that you can handle things better. I was a lot like you when I was younger…"

"No, you were a lot like Elle Alexander. A rebel without a cause…" voiced Ms. Lane.

"Fine. Then you are a lot like my sister here," Ms. Snow said, "You know why she's such a bi—"

"Dylan!"

Hope couldn't help but chuckle. Now that she knew her teacher was related to Ms. Lane it seemed funny to have them expose things about each other or scold each other as she did now.

"Sorry, such an ogre all the time?" Ms. Snow continued, "It's because she cares so much, but sometimes her hands are tied and she can't take it. Her outlet is working like a maniac. She sometimes drives around to calm herself, too. My outlet is dance and photography…"

"Not teaching?" Hope asked feeling better.

"Teaching is my day job, darling!" Ms. Snow said dramatically before plopping on her seat and making Hope giggle. "What's your outlet going to be? You must comprehend why you need one!"

Hope did. She thought about it. She didn't want to pray because she was still angry, but she did like music and she enjoyed singing. "I'm going to sing!"

Ms. Lane smiled. Hope was as normal as any girl her age could sound. She could understand why the Reverend and Ms. Jeffries didn't want her to fall into "the system", and by now, she didn't think Hope should go into it either.

"Great!" Ms. Snow said, "You know what? You, Elle and I should start and afterschool choir. The school might have a little extra funding for it…"

"Dyl, you're only there temporarily…" Ms. Lane whispered. She didn't think her sister should be making promises she couldn't keep. Hope had lost enough already.

"We'll see…" Ms. Snow smiled, "Anyways, would you like that hope? I used to sing in my church choir, you remember Andy? So, we'll just have our own little Glee club to keep you out of trouble!"

"What's a glee club?" Hope asked embarrassed.

"It's alright Hope," Ms. Lane smiled, "You're not expected to keep up with Dylan's mind. No one can!"

Hope and Ms. Snow enjoyed the rest of the ride. They made plans for their new club and discussed the television show Ms. Snow had stolen the idea from. But as usual, Ms. Lane had other things to worry about. Elle was still missing. Also, she wasn't exactly sure that her plan would provide the desired outcome. If it did, she had no idea how to protect Hope from falling into the system and Elle's case from falling into Marian Hayes incapable hands.

By the time Louis returned home only Lyla was up, sitting at the dinner table, finishing her plans for this week.

"Where are the boys?" he asked sitting next to her.

"In bed. Where were you?" she asked suspiciously.

"I was with Marshall, but Jeffries called me before he called you to ask you if Arthur could stay over". Louis explained almost in whispers.

"Did he tell you what's going on?" Lyla was curious. She dearly loved Hope and wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her.

"It's Hope. Things aren't looking too good", Louis explained, "Apparently, the headmistress had already asked for a new case worker for Hope and she's going to take the case. Mr. Jeffries and Ms. Lane are trying for that not to happen".

"What happens if they fail?" Lyla's interest rose.

"I understand, Hope's guardianship would pass to the state…"

"It already is the state's, Louis".

"Yeah, but under Mr. Jeffries's care she was able to go to the boys' academy and live in a comfortable private school. Now she'd be transferred to public education and…"

"A foster home…" Lyla finished his sentence. They were silent, united in the memory of their son having been in one himself.

"Maybe a couple of family homes until she's eighteen…" Louis remembered how happy Hope had been in the telling of how she met his son. She'd helped him in her own special way, but now their hands were tied and they couldn't do anything.

Evan had been listening in the hall. Arthur too. It pained him to think of Hope in a place like the one he lived in for most his life. He had good memories, like the time spent with his friend Peter, but he had bitter memories too, like the moments he was bullied by Mannix. Arthur didn't want Hope lurking around the streets and begging for a day's meal like he had to do. It wasn't their fault they had bad parents, but it sure was their price to pay.

"We got to do something!" Arthur told Evan when the returned to his bedroom.

"What can we do?" Evan asked.

Arthur looked outside the window. He could tell it was very late. "I got an idea and I hope it works…" He took his cell-phone out of his back pack and dialed.

She had woken up to the pale pink walls of Over the Rainbow and an empty bed by her side. When they finally got to the home Mr. Jeffries and Reverend J waited along with the Queen Bee, Mrs. Goldman and a few other people Hope didn't recognize. She remembered on of them being Marian Hayes, but she didn't look as if she was going to do anything about it. Ms. Snow remained in the car while Ms. Lane came in along with her. She explained some things, but Hope couldn't wrap her head around it. As soon as she came into the overcrowded office, Mrs. Goldman was asked to take her to her room. The last thing Hope remembered was Reverend J's suggestion that she should pray. This time she did.

As Hope looked at Elle's bed she found herself praying again, hoping she was alright. She had lost most all her friends from her old school and neighborhood so she didn't really feel like losing Elle, even if that wasn't in her hands entirely. Maybe Ms. Snow was right and all she needed was an outlet. For the first time in the last couple of weeks, Hope opened her drawer to find her picture of her and her grandmother. Staring at the old woman's dark eyes and kind smile, Hope couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Her grandmother always said they were fighters, but she didn't think she was much of anything right now. Before they had a clear goal to fight for. As it was, Hope didn't think she had anything to fight for now. Either way, she forced a smile and kissed the photograph before entering the bathroom and finding her roommate had made a bed on the bathtub.

"Elle. Elle!"

"Huh? What? What is it?" Elle was startled awake.

"What are you doing here? When did you come in? _How_ did you come in? Everyone's looking for you!" Hope asked.

"I've got my tricks. Now I need you to help me leave this place for good!" Elle ordered.

Hope felt angry. How could Elle think this way? Everyone had been worried sick. _She_ had been worried sick and Elle didn't even think to apologize for leaving her behind and getting her into so much trouble. Maybe she was the kind of friends Ms. Lane warned Hope about: those who'd get you in trouble to save their skins. Elle had certainly proved it last night.

"No" Hope said flatly. "I got to get ready for school".

"School? You're probably on lock down anyways. We better run!"

"I'm not running. I'm going to be brave now and find an outlet…"

"What does that even mean?" Elle scoffed, "You're going to have a wretched life! Hoping from home to home with people that don't really care about you, all they want is your money. Then when you're old enough they throw you to the curb and then you fend for yourself anyways. I say, why wait?"

"Maybe, but you don't know that, do you Elle?" Hope asked, hoping this was what she was supposed to do, "You've lived here your whole life? How do you know it's any worse out there. It wasn't so bad here!"

"Really? You like it here?" Elle looked around their room. "Suit yourself then…"

Hope watched her pack her stuff. For a minute she actually thought about leaving with her. Then she remembered Elle had nowhere to go and she did. Reverend J wanted to help, even now as she expressed her anger with God. She still got letters and care packages from people in church and Mr. Jeffries, Arthur and the Connelly visited whenever they could. However, she wanted to help her friend as she had helped August. Could she possibly be an angel like he described?

"I think you should stay" Hope asked, "Where are you going to go? What are you going to do?"

"I'm not telling you so you can rat me out!" Elle giggled. "It's not like we're friends or anything…"

"I thought we were friends" Hope said sadly, "Good luck to you then…"

Another day, another loss. Hope just kept creeping deeper into the whole and didn't know if she could ever get herself out of it. By now she realized she wasn't very brave as much as she was just tired. All she ever wanted to do was go back home. Tears ran down her face on her way to the school bus. Hope didn't know where home was…she barely remembered what it was like, anyway.

Her classroom as peaceful as the eighth graders headed over to Ms. Novachek's classroom for the last class of the day. Dylan thought she could use her time to grade the quizzes the class had just taken, but instead she wanted to see if a _twizzler_ stick could really be used as a straw. She bit both ends and inserted it into her can of lemon-lime soda. She hummed the song she heard on her way to school this morning and hoped she didn't forget to Google it later. Now that she thought about music, Dylan took out a small, glittery notebook and wrote down her ideas for the club she promised Hope they'd start. Ms. Steven's baby was born last week, so her days where almost counted. Her plan to spend her last period helping Mrs. Burns out was working, but the old woman was nowhere near retiring and leaving the empty slot to her. Just as he pulled herself from her thoughts and grabbed the can of soda, Elle came in. She looked outside before closing the door and walking straight to the teacher's desk, pointing straight at her. A sly smile drew across Ms. Snow's face. This should be interesting, she thought as the girl began to speak.

"Ms. Alexander," she said, "How did you sneak into school?"

"Stop, Ms. Snow. _I'll_ do all the talking today…" Elle squinted her eyes and smiled cynically. "Whoever you think I am, I can assure you, you are wrong. I've been taking care of myself for almost fourteen years now and I won't have you spreading falsehoods about me. Not to mention I could sue you for it. So I hope you've kept shut. As for my being here, you haven't seen me…"

"Are you done, little girl?" Ms. Snow said blocking the door, Elle's only exit. The girl nodded nervously. "Then I guess it's my turn to speak." She seemed very small in front of her teacher, who was not barefoot today. "I don't know how you got in, but that's not important. The important thing now is that you can't get out. The school has been notified to stop you should you flee, but you're not running. Not anymore. I don't _think_ I know who you are, I am one hundred percent sure of who you are, _Elle_. In fact, I just realized that I know you since before you were born…"

"Shut up!" Elle yelled angrily, letting a couple of tears escape her eyes.

"Oh, I'm not going to tell on you…yet"

"Are you black mailing me?" Elle asked.

"Did you not just entered my classroom and assault me?" Ms. Snow smiled, "You really got to learn your place and how to pick you battles. In case you didn't know, my big sister is on your case and if you think I'm evil…don't even cross her. Lucky for you I didn't reveal your identity to her. But I feel so guilty, I have to make it up to her somehow. So here's what we're going to do…"

"I'm not going to do anything!"

"I bet you are…" Ms. Snow smiled and removed a strand of Elle's blonde hair from her forehead, "You're not going to run. You're going to let my sister help you and you are going to be very, very cooperative. A model citizen in your time with her and I won't say a thing about you, sweetie. In fact, I might even help you—without my sister's knowing of course. But until then, if you behave, mum's the word. If you don't…well, you know the consequences better than anyone don't you…what was your real name again?"

"Don't!" Elle cried. No matter how hard she had tried to avoid any situation such as this one, she fell right into it anyways. She didn't have an escape plan for this. The only person who would lose it all if she was to be discovered _now_ was her. Elle sat on the first desk she found and covering her face with her arms she cried into it. She felt Ms. Snow's hands caressing her hair, making her feel angrier.

"Deep inside," the teacher whispered in her ear, "You really are a _very_ good girl."

Elle dug her fingernails on her own skin hoping to hurt herself enough to nub the horrible feeling this whole mess provided her with.

"I'll be in the teacher's lounge cause I need some java…" Ms. Snow said calmly, "I can trust you to stay here, can't I Ellie?"

Elle threw the soda can on Ms. Snow's desk at the door after the teacher closed it. She was furious! She ran back to the desk and slid everything it had on top right to the floor. Paper clips flew and picture frames shattered. Elle emptied Ms. Snow's bag and ripped the pages out of her notebook, threw her cellphone on the clear liquid on the floor and scratched her nails on the blackboard. Locking herself in the office, after realizing someone else could hear all the noise she turned a couple of other desks over. One of them landed heavily on her foot providing for a loud shriek. By now she could see Ms. Snow's shadow at the door calming everyone down. She'd be the big hero when in reality she was a monster. Elle tried to kick the door, but it only made the pain in her foot worsen. Finally she sat with her back against the door and cried.

It was a little over three o'clock when Louis arrived to his son's school carrying an envelope in his hands. He opened it back home, but couldn't wait to share the news with Lyla and Evan. He thought he'd surprise them with a nice dinner out. Maybe afterwards he'd take them to see Marshall's new place before it was full of drunken people and naked women. Louis actually hoped it wasn't already. He walked straight to Lyla's classroom but it was empty. He walked inside and found her stuff and Evan's was still there. Class was dismissed, but they've stayed behind, God knew doing what? It was a happy day and he was in a really good mood so he didn't mind waiting. He didn't mind waiting for the first half hour.

After about forty-five minutes, he couldn't wait any longer and he also began to worry. But what if he left the classroom and they came back? Louis didn't want to risk it. He decided to peek outside to see if they were coming. The hallways where emptied but from somewhere near he heard a sound very familiar to his ears. The strangely familiar melody gave him chills as he came into the hallway desperately to find it. He didn't have to walk far. The nauseous feeling in his gut intensified the minute he so much as placed a hand for balance on the door to the classroom across from Lyla's. The one he remembered belonged to Dylan Snow.

"_You've been here, I've been lost, oh so lost without you. One wrong turn in heaven, and I am in hell…." _


	6. Chapter 6: Hell is for Children

**Chapter 6: "Hell is for Children"**

**Louis took a hand up to the doorknob **and felt an electric shock that shook the sick feeling out of his body, but left a cruel headache. He tried turning it, but it was locked. At the sound of his attempt, the voice quieted. He desperately searched in his memory for a recollection of Ms. Snow and although he could clearly remember her, he failed to see her eyes. Louis refused to believe the woman in his dreams was Dylan Snow.

"Dylan? Are you in there? Is that you?" Louis called but heard no answer as he struggled to open the door.

"Louis?" Lyla called. Her voice came from a crowd in the hallway.

As Louis turned to look at them, Ms. Snow hurried to her door and demanded the person inside to open it. Louis realized he knew most of the people that came with her. Apart from Lyla, Mr. Jeffries, Ms. Lane and the principal master person were there. He couldn't remember his name because he'd only seen him once when they enrolled Evan. There were a couple of other officials, who despite how they looked weren't police men. Ms. Lane gave them instructions before standing next to her sister to try and convince the person to open the door.

"What are you doing here?" Lyla asked, pulling him aside.

"What's going on?" Louis asked.

"I promised you a while back that everything would be fine, darling," Ms. Lane spoke to the door, "Now please open the door".

"Don't be embarrassed because of the mess. We'll deal with that later, ok?" Ms. Snow said sweetly.

"What mess?!" Headmaster Braverman asked alarmed.

"We're having trouble with a student," Lyla explained, "She skipped classes all day and Ms. Snow found her in her classroom. Apparently, Ms. Lane is her case worker".

Louis looked at the closed door and wondered what would come out of it. A student? How was he supposed to help a child? Suddenly they heard the lock of the door turn as the student unlocked it. Before they knew it, the door was opened and out came a girl. Her golden curls where a mess and she must have hurt herself because she was limping. With just a glimpse inside the classroom everyone could tell it was destroyed.

"Miss Alexander! What is the meaning of this? Do you realize this is vandalism of school property?" Headmaster Braverman said angrily.

"Just put it on my tab…" she said.

"What happened to you?" Ms. Lane asked surprised.

"I fell off a cloud…" Elle said looking at Ms. Snow, "I guess, I'm all yours now. Lock me away Miss Whatever your name was!"

"She won't be locking you away, but I will. You have detention, Elle…" the Headmaster said.

"Sir, may I please suggest that she also have community service with me? I have a new project I want to talk to you about and might very well need any help I can get. Also, cleaning this mess up!" Ms. Snow appeared concerned. Elle scoffed at her teacher's attitude.

"We'll have to discuss that later, Ms. Snow. For the time being, Ms. Lane, come into my office and we'll discuss Elle's records as you requested. Elle, I suggest you accompany us…"

The round man began to walk and Ms. Lane followed him, constantly checking to see if Elle was behind her. She wasn't but Elle knew she soon would be.

"Cheer up, Elle!" Ms. Snow said grabbing her shoulders, "Things couldn't possibly get any worse, right? Only way is up! Go and be happy…"

Elle rolled her eyes, but sang anyways. "_And you know that their little lives can become such a mess, hell…hell is for children…" _i

"Tone down the drama, Elle…"Ms. Snow called after her as she watched her leave.

For Louis there was no doubt. He failed to examine the girl's eyes closely, but the voice was undeniably the same voice from his dreams! It was the same song from his dreams!

"What is going on with that girl?" he asked Dylan.

"Elle?" Dylan sighed, "Elle needs to be taken care of for once. I'm so glad Andy's on her case. That will make a world of difference in that girl's life!"

"You know Ms. Lane?" Lyla asked surprised. She could never imagine Ms. Lane and Ms. Snow as friends.

"Yeah. She's my big sister…"

"You're related to Ms. Lane?" Lyla was stunned.

Dylan chuckled, "Hard to believe, huh? We're actually half-sisters. We shared a mom."

"What's going to happen to Elle?" Louis asked.

"I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see…" Dylan answered and smiled before going inside her classroom. She had a lot of work to do to it if she was going to use it the next day, as she very well had to.

Lyla took Louis's hand and led him to her classroom. She packed her stuff and handed him Evan's bag.

"Evan's probably outside with Arthur. What are you doing here anyways?" Lyla asked.

Louis had almost forgotten. As they walked through the hallways, he took the envelope out of his pocket. They bumped into Arthur and Evan who returned inside to look for Evan's stuff. Louis opened the letter, when they stopped walking.

"This just came in" he smiled, "We're officially free to be Evan's parents".

Lyla took the letter from him and read. New York Child Department was closing Evan's adoption for good; no more visits and annoying interviews. Evan was officially under the sole care of his parents.

"I thought you might want to celebrate" he said less enthusiastically than he initially thought he'd be.

Evan smiled widely. He'd done it! He was finally with his parents forever!

"Now all that's left is the wedding!" He said excitedly.

His parents looked at one another and chuckled. Louis smiled and took Lyla's hand. Lyla felt like things were finally going well.

"Congratulations, Aug!" Arthur patted Evan's back.

Suddenly Lyla's cellphone began to ring. She answered it and talked to Mr. Jeffries who apologized and asked her please stay with Arthur until the evening. Things had gotten more complicated with Hope's case and he and Reverend J where on their way to Over the Rainbow.

"**Does it hurt still?" Ms. Lane asked Elle** who'd been touching her toes since she sat on the front seat.

Elle didn't want to talk to her, especially now that she was officially in the system. She suspected her benefactors would sit and wait to see what would happen to her and of course, drop their care. That's why Elle had her own matter of handling things. Until Ms. Snow showed up! Now she had to worry about her stuff and her future as Ms. Lane had gotten the permission to remove her from the boarding school she called home since she was two. Elle could deal with change after a while, but she didn't have much time until her help pulled the plug on her. She didn't want to imagine what would happen then. Everything would be real.

"I can take you to a clinic. Is it swollen?" Ms. Lane insisted.

"Where _are_ you taking me, Ms. Social Worker?" Elle was angry, "You said I wouldn't return to OtR, but here I am on the road back again. What's the deal?"

"You have to stay there until I find a home for you…"

"So you lied…" Elle interrupted.

"No. I said once I got you out, you wouldn't come in again…"

"And my benefactors just have to deal with the state taking me away?"

"Unless they are your legal guardians, yes." Ms. Lane explained, "As it is, they are not. I've checked into it".

Elle looked at Ms. Lane. She sounded older than she looked, "If you're so interested in me, why don't you just take me home yourself? That'll give you a better watch over me…"

"It certainly would…"

For a minute Elle thought that she had given the woman a great idea and she instantly regretted it. She'd rather live on the streets than with Ms. Lane and her cat! She probably had a cat. Ms. Lane smiled at her.

"I can't do that." She assured, "But I plan on finding you a place with good people and close reach. Until, we find you something a little more permanent…"

They were silent again. There was not much more Elle could say. She'd have to bare it and go with it, until she could scheme again.

**Mr. Jeffries looked straight at Ms. Boyer.** He couldn't believe what she was doing. Not only did she pull him out of Hope's case, but she was expelling Hope from Over the Rainbow. Apparently, she couldn't overlook the fact that Hope had escaped last night, which meant she'd been out twice without her permission. Mr. Jeffries remembered all that Ms. Lane had told him about Elle and her case and though he could bring up how unfair Ms. Boyer's treatment of the girls was, he thought against it. He didn't want to cause problems in for her case and Elle's case was certainly of interest as he realized Ms. Boyer had to have a very important reason to protect her.

"I don't think it's fair to expel Hope for her first infraction." He insisted, "You and I, both, know I _did_ ask for the permission to take her out and it was granted by yourself"

"Even if _that_ was sorted you still wouldn't be allowed to handle her case, Mr. Jeffries," said Marian Hayes. He'd barely worked with her at all and didn't really know her, but what was spoken of her in the office was never to her favor. "You've gotten yourself too involved".

He couldn't argue with that. Andrea warned him about it many times before, but he didn't think his emotional attachment was obvious. Before he could say another word in his favor Ms. Lane invaded their privacy by inviting herself inside Ms. Boyer's office regardless of Mrs. Goldman's attempt to stop her. Before she closed the door, Mr. Jeffries saw Elle sitting next to Hope and Reverend J who had been waiting outside.

"Is she giving you a hard time, Richard?" Ms. Lane asked while handing him a paper.

"What's this?" He asked.

"An order for you to take Hope away from here and find her a good home, Marian will be her case worker afterwards, I understand. Ms. Boyer's copy will be faxed tomorrow."

Marian and Ms. Lane had worked together previously and did not get along. Ms. Lane was assertive where she second guessed herself. Mr. Jeffries looked at the paper and smiled; it was Ms. Lane's bank account statement. He looked at her and she remained so serious it almost caused him to laugh. Her methods were unorthodox, but he'd take it when he thought regular methods weren't really working.

"Today she gets all the documents that appoint New York Child Services legal guardian of one Elle Alexander, until further notice, and a Ms. Andrea Lane as her social worker" Ms. Lane handed her the papers. "Because it's all very sudden, the girls will stay here tonight and tomorrow, they'll be placed in great homes the state has already found them."

"How fast does the agency work these days, doesn't it?" Ms. Boyer doubted Ms. Lane.

"Internet!" Ms. Lane chuckled, "Speeds everything up…oh! And employee efficiency".

"Maybe I should call the agency…" Ms. Boyer said picking up her phone, "Wouldn't want any mistakes…"

"Of course not!" Ms. Lane replied, "They were meaning to talk to you about Elle's irregularities and Hope's latest escape, but what they are really interested in is discovering what happened to _your_ copy of the permit you gave Mr. Jeffries to take Hope to dinner that evening. Our boss found a copy of it in his inbox yesterday. Is yours missing, Ms. Boyer?"

Silently, angrily, Ms. Boyer put her phone down. "You win this round, but I am sure once Elle's benefactors discover the truth, New York Child Services will have a huge lawsuit on their hands and you might even get one if you're not careful".

"We're just doing our job, Ms. Boyer," Mr. Jeffries spoke, "And that sounds awfully like a threat. Let's just leave it as is and wait to see what happens tomorrow".

Ms. Boyer allowed them to leave. Once outside they explained to the girls how this would be their last night here before they were placed in substitute care. Ms. Lane explained that both her and Mr. Jeffries would be back for them tomorrow after school so they should try and pack up tonight after they did their homework. Reverend J promised to come by too, for moral support. With angry stares thrown in the agents' direction, Mrs. Goldman led the girls back to their room.

"What will happen now?" the Reverend asked as they walked outside to their vehicles.

Ms. Lane turned to him, "Pray for us, Reverend. We're going to need it", she said.

The Reverend wanted to enquire more or at least stay long enough to have his question answered, but Ms. Lane's tone was dismissive. He looked at Mr. Jeffries and he nodded his goodbye. Reverend J trusted Mr. Jeffries as much as he feared Ms. Lane's mind. For the time being, he decided to go with his trust and do as the woman asked and pray. With the Reverend out of the way, Richard knew that Andrea would talk more freely. If she really had a plan, he still wasn't sure.

"So?" he asked.

"It's still early enough for us to find the girls homes and work it out with the agency. If we waste our time, Ms. Boyer will realize you really didn't have that order yet…"

He scoffed, "Why did you do that? Why would you jeopardize both cases and your job like that?"

"What with the fake ordinance?" Ms. Lane brushed it off, "I am convinced that we can make it happen. Besides, Richard, you are a great social worker and human being and if your heart's set on helping this girl, then I should leave you to it, no questions asked. Janine would have done so, why not I?"

He hated to admit that his deceased wife was far from his mind, because the mention of her name brought a sort of calmness. "Thank you, but you're right. I am too attached and I am sure I'll be off that case, especially now that Marian is involved. I'd just hate for Hope to end up in the wrong hands. Don't kids deserve a better chance than that? I've been questioning what we do and I'm not sure I like it anymore"

"We do what we're supposed to; put them in homes where we think they'll be alright. What the parents do—we can't really control…"

"Yeah, but shouldn't we?" Mr. Jeffries was upset. "Does our job really end when they are placed? I don't see what happens to kids after I help them. I don't even hear from them again and every time I hear a name in the news I try to think back as I wonder: 'is this one of them'?"

Ms. Lane understood how the job could be taking a toll him. She was lucky to work on her real profession as a psychiatrist, because the seasonal jobs with the agency tampered with her emotional stability, as well. She could only imagine what he, who did this job day in and day out, went through.

"Evan's case shook us into reality, didn't it?" Ms. Lane sighed, "Not every kid we promise a happy ending, really gets it…"

"Most kids in the system go through hell. Evan, Lyla and Louis are the exception. We were lucky to be involved and call them friends. They give us back the hope we lost when we started working the field. Do you remember our graduation? We thought we were going to change the world, us two!"

As Richard Jeffries waited for a reply from her, Ms. Lane was lost in her thoughts. Her brilliant mind was brewing a plan and by the sparkle in her eyes and the appearance of a shy smile on her face, he knew it so.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I _have_ found the girls some homes, but I need your help…"

When did Andrea ever need his help? Mr. Jeffries wished he knew how insane her idea was before committing to helping her, but he nodded in agreement anyways.

"Alright, then. Now that you've decided to do something for _me_, I'll do something for _you_…" she smiled.

"Alright." He sighed, "But I'm not sure we should be in business together".

"Then I promise I'll do it from the bottom of my heart," she said, "Follow me to the agency…"

**Evan was just about to give up on it all together!** The points and bars and little houses surrounding the numbers on his paper confused him even more. It was nice to have his father tutor him and Arthur for the big test on Wednesday, but he just couldn't do it. Ms. Snow made it seem so easy in songs and with pizza, but right there, on blank paper math was nothing but hard.

"I give up!" Arthur verbalized Evan's thoughts.

"I gave you that practice sheet four minutes ago!" Louis said, "Where are you stuck?"

"I don't know. Everywhere!" Arthur sighed. "It made sense in the classroom, but now it's just hard!"

"Could be that Ms. Snow and Louis have different ways of explaining it," Lyla put in, "A financial investor is sure to view numbers in a different perspective compared to a school teacher…"

"Ms. Snow sings to us…" Evan said, "And she uses pizza…"

"Yeah!" Arthur agreed.

"She used that one time and that's all you two remember?" Lyla asked quite surprised.

Louis laughed, "Let's order some pizza then and jog these guys memory!"

While they waited for the pizza Louis asked them to explain to him what Ms. Snow does. At first, Lyla thought of reporting her untraditional teaching methods as a concerned parent. Then, as Louis tied their silly games and anecdotes to the exercises he had made up for them to her lessons, she realized along with her fiancée that the boys where indeed learning. They just saw things differently. In the end, Arthur got 3 out of the 5 right and Evan 4 out of the 5. When the pizza finally got there, they were ready to celebrate; reasons they had plenty. As they ate their first few slices the door buzzed. Louis opened it and in came Mr. Jeffries accompanied by Ms. Lane.

"Sorry to interrupt…" said Ms. Lane.

"Finally!" Arthur said hugging his dad and then turning to greet Ms. Lane.

"Thank you so much for caring for Arthur these couple of days. Things took quite a turn for us…"

"I hope everything worked out…" Lyla said.

"Are you going to tell us?" Evan asked Mr. Jeffries.

He smiled, "I am going to tell, just not you guys…"

"We have to speak to your parents in private. You two will find out soon enough." Ms. Lane said.

"It's such a small apartment…" Arthur observed, more to make the adults realized he and Evan were eavesdropping.

"It is," Louis opened the door again, "That's why we'll talk outside, in the hall…"

The four of them moved to the hall and closed the door behind them. They made sure to move a considerable distance away from the door, where surely the boys had their ears stuck. Like four teenagers they sat on the floor as Mr. Jeffries explained what had happened and the tricks Ms. Lane had to pull in trying to fix things.

"Ms. Boyer is hiding something shielding herself with the boarding school and the agency will find whatever it is…" Ms. Lane said, "For now, I think I've pushed all of her buttons".

Lyla had no doubts.

"In the meantime, to ensure Hope's safety, Andrea has agreed to take her in as her first substitute home. The more involved we are with these kids, the best future we can strive to find them…" Mr. Jeffries explained, "But we need a favor from you".

"Us? Can we do anything?" Lyla asked looking back and forth from him and Louis.

"You can," Ms. Lane answered, "I need you to take Elle in for a while…"

"Elle Alexander?" Lyla asked, but as soon as her 'No' came out of her mouth it bumped into Louis's 'Yes'. The couple looked at one another.

"It's just provisional, while we discover who her benefactors are and their legal relationship to her, or while we find her a more permanent place…" Ms. Lane continued explaining. She didn't know what else to do.

"I can't take Elle in because my process with Arthur isn't final and Ms. Lane already agreed to take in Hope…"

"Why can't she take in Elle instead?" Lyla asked Mr. Jeffries. Ms. Lane thought she was ridiculous to still hold a grudge.

"Because Ms. Lane is Elle's appointed social worker for the moment," Mr. Jeffries continued, "With Evan's adoption process finalized, you qualify perfectly to be substitute parents with very few of the obliged process documentation".

"We'll do it…" Louis said, but Ms. Lane didn't take his word for it.

"Ms. Novachek, I know this is a lot to ask from someone you barely tolerate, but I need to keep Elle safe and close," she said ignoring Louis, "The State will pass you a stipend for her care and if things get intolerably uncomfortable, I'll remove her immediately and place her somewhere else".

"Lyla, we have to do this…" Louis said softly to her.

"I don't know if I can…" Lyla replied.

Louis sighed and looked at Ms. Lane, "What are the chances of me helping the girl on my own?"

All three of them stared at him surprised.

"You'd really do that?" Lyla asked. She was hurt. How could he even consider abandoning her and Evan over this mean little girl!

"He means well, but there's no way that would happen…" Ms. Lane said, "The truth is we really need you both on board for this. We've arranged everything at the agency so the girls can be placed in substitute care as early as tomorrow."

"We don't want Ms. Boyer's intervention to come before we can do anything about it" Mr. Jeffries justified. "But it's really up to you…"

"I know this is a lot…" Ms. Lane repeated.

"Why is it so important that you do this?" Lyla asked Louis, teary eyed.

Louis knew they were all expectant of his answer but he didn't want them to think him crazy. He organized what he would say in his mind, but no matter how long the thought about it, the words wouldn't come easy and Ms. Lane and Mr. Jeffries needed an answer now.

"I think she's the girl from my dreams…" he mumbled.

"What dream?" Mr. Jeffries asked.

"How can you be sure?" Lyla asked him.

"Louis, it could all be stress." Ms. Lane psychoanalyzed him, "You could be anxious about anything, Evan, your wedding, your job… this cannot be taken lightly".

"I wouldn't joke about this!" he said, "I don't expect you to understand, but Lyla… you should".

"I don't understand a thing!" Mr. Jeffries said.

"He's been having this recurring dream and thinks it's a call to help someone…" Lyla said resting importance to the matter. Louis didn't appreciate it.

"I don't know if I can believe that…" Mr. Jeffries thought back on when he first met Evan and he had said he had contact with his family. He didn't want to read too much into it, but he'd always kept this in the back of his mind.

"I am not asking you to believe me. I am asking you to trust me, ok?" he chuckled, "Marshall already thinks I am crazy and last time I had something like this happen to me, it wasn't exactly smooth sailing. If nothing else, we help the girl out. We're able…"

They remained silent. For some reason they were going with Lyla's sentiment and not his. Ms. Lane would have to come up with another plan. She wasn't going to hold it against Richard or Hope that her side of the bargain fell through.

"Alright. Fine. We'll do it…" Lyla said softly and upset. Louis smiled.

"Are you sure you don't want to discuss it further?" Ms. Lane asked.

"What is there to discuss?" Lyla said standing up, "I guess I have to trust him…"

They all stood up after her. Mr. Jeffries wasn't sure they should continue with their original plan after this, but he knew after getting her way Andrea wouldn't back down. Guilty and uncomfortable, he followed Lyla into her apartment, while Ms. Lane informed Louis what would happen next. He wanted to talk to Lyla, but with the boys present he rather not. He bid her a good evening after asking Arthur to bring his stuff and left just as Louis came back inside.

"Can we talk?" Louis asked Lyla after the door was closed and their visitors had gone.

"We are finally free of the uncomfortable visits and you're subjecting us to them all over again?"

"What happened?" Evan, who had learned to stay out of his parent's arguments, couldn't help but feel intrigued over this one.

"Evan," Louis said, "I've offered us to take Elle in while Ms. Lane and Mr. Jeffries find her a new home".

"Elle Alexander?" he asked, "But she's awful!"

"See?" Lyla agreed, "Louis, I understand you feel the need to help, but there's no way to help that girl. I know; I've tried!"

"One bad class doesn't determine a person's real personality!"

"Louis, you don't know what you're getting us into, and frankly I think you're being selfish!"

"_I'm_ being selfish? I want to help the girl!" Louis said, "Weren't we thankful that so many people helped Evan? We have to even thank that lunatic for teaching him how to play! It could have been much worse, Lyla…"

"That's your argument?" Lyla chuckled, "And meanwhile our lives have to stand still while you go through some sort of self-destructing phase…"

"Just stop! I told you what happened…" Louis replied.

"Stop!" Evan yelled and tears escaped his eyes. His parents stared at him and he stared back at them. Before they could do anything but feel ashamed, Evan ran into his room and locked himself in. He already hated Elle for breaking up his parents.

**Elle was unusually quiet and it kind of scared Hope.** She wanted to remain angry for getting her into so much trouble, but she couldn't. Elle had made her transition from her old life to whatever this was, easier and Hope wouldn't let herself forget.

"What do you think will happen to us now?" Hope asked, unsure she wanted to hear the answer.

"I don't know…" Elle said after a bit more silence.

"Where do you think they're taking us tomorrow?" Hope asked again.

"I don't know…" Elle turned in her bed to keep Hope from seeing her crying. In her desperation she had sent word of her current situation to her benefactor and they sent Mr. Jones the lawyer. As soon as Elle realized he'd come, she went to her usual spot to listen on the conversation. But the lawyer brought bad news. Her sponsors where pulling out of her care. Apparently they didn't have the legal guardianship she thought they did. Elle's worst nightmares were coming true and she didn't feel she could do anything more than cry.

"I hope we stay in touch though…" Hope said softly as she turned on her bed, "You are a very good friend when you want to be…"

Elle choked a scream on her pillow in hopes to pop a vein and drop dead. She didn't deserve any of it. She'd done nothing wrong to be ignored by her benefactors and she'd done nothing right to gain Hope's friendship.

**Lyla had to ask permission to miss the second and third class periods** under 'personal problems', when really the problems where only about to worsen as she and Louis drove over to New York Child Services to close yesterday's deal. After Evan's outburst last night, Lyla and Louis agreed to drop the subject and act civil. They managed to calm him down, but she wondered how much longer they could keep it up. Their relationship was rocky and Lyla questioned whether they were meant to be together. They hadn't even set the date, but their wedding seemed farther and farther every day. It broke her heart.

"Lyla please," Louis said, "I promise you this is meant to happen. If things get crazy we'll just ask Ms. Lane to find another place for her…"

"Just like that? Like returning a damaged item to a store? Louis I don't think you've thought this through. Aren't these the kind of decisions we should be making together? What happens to _us_?"

Louis knew she was right. He'd been impulsive and maybe even selfish, but he really wanted her on his side, rather than intimidated by a girl, "I am sorry. I really am, but I didn't think you'd believe me… but when I heard Elle sing yesterday… it was her voice and her lyrics! She was saying the exact same words of the song that I've had in my head for months now! Lyla I can't pass this up".

"What are you willing to give up for it then: me or Evan? Both?"

"Neither. You said it yourself, financial investors see numbers differently. I see one more person as an addition, not a subtraction…" he said, "We also evaluate risk, so when we're willing to take a risk we're sure it's worth it…"

Lyla was silent. She just wanted her long overdue happily ever after. Deep down, she also knew part of her felt unable to care for Elle, let alone provide for her as a substitute parent. She was still figuring things out with Evan and felt insecure adding another kid, let alone a difficult one, into the mix would make it easier. Never for a second did she want to contemplate that maybe it wasn't supposed to be easy.

"Lyla," Louis had been stealing glances at her the whole time, "I promise everything's going to be ok. Please trust me…"

She nodded. At this point she couldn't do anything else.

**The signatures lay atop the dotted lines** as a sign that Ms. Lane had gotten her way. She strode down the school's hallway at lunch time, to tell the girls the news. From Mr. Jeffrie's smile as he walked beside her, good news where to be delivered. He hadn't been restored as Hope's social worker, but the alternative was good enough for him. Meanwhile, Ms. Lane had to pretend to be satisfied by being Hope's appointed guardian for the time being and having Marian Hayes visit her regularly as she was appointed Hope's case worker. She wondered if she'd been narrow minded on her quest to uncover Elle Alexander's mystery, enough to find herself deeply involved in it. Now she had no real idea if the mystery was even there; she felt it was just a waste of her time.

"I cannot thank you enough, Andrea!" Mr. Jeffries repeated for the hundredth time. "You've helped me so much already. I fear I am in great debt to you".

"Perhaps," she said playfully, hoping he wouldn't notice the annoyance in her tone, "For the time being we've found a way to rescue two more children in less than a year. I say, I might be getting too old for this…"

Dylan had been guiding their way to the playground, silently smirking to herself. She couldn't believe what her older sister was doing and she wondered what she would say and do if she ever found out Dylan had her mystery solved. She looked at them and thought there had to be a special reason why Andrea would take Hope in, no questions—almost no questions asked. It couldn't all be for her involvement in Elle's case. Dylan hoped, she really hoped, her old college crush would get the best out of her and maybe, just maybe Dylan wouldn't have to run away from her anymore. Luckily for them, Hope and Elle sat together on top of the monkey bars. Hope grinned at her friend, who spit out Whoppers at the passer-byers, to keep them from lingering around them too long.

"How very feminine of you, Elle…" Ms. Snow smiled using her hand as shield from the sun, "Mr. Jeffries and Ms. Lane have come here to talk to you girls…"

Elle ate the chocolate ball she had in her mouth, though she really wanted to spit it out at her math teacher. Hope greeted them and climbed down to listen to what they had to say. Elle could not be bothered. She was in no rush to learn the verdict on her case.

"Are we in any more trouble?" Hope sighed, "I promise not to run away again. I promise…"

Mr. Jeffries smiled, "That's not it, Hope, although I hope you keep that promise. It's a good one to make. We're actually here because we've found a temporary solution to your predicament…"

Andrea Lane rolled her eyes. Of course, Richard would use words the girls barely understood. She also hated when people beat around the bushes. "What he means is we've found temporary homes for you".

"Really?" Hope's eyes sparkled with what Richard could see was a bit of excitement and a bit of fear.

"_How_ temporary?" Elle asked putting another chocolate in her mouth.

"What kind of question is _that_?" Ms. Snow interrupted, "Who cares? You don't have anywhere else to go!"

"Ms. Snow," Ms. Lane said, "Let _us_ do the talking, ok? Elle, how temporary is really up to you and your guardians. The agency will send me for periodical visits and I'll help you determine how suitable your stay in that place is. If it's not suitable we'll find you another place…"

"And the cycle continues if that other place is not suitable…" Elle said.

"You're a smart girl, Elle. Your situation is not too clear yet, but if you should continue in the system, all you'd have to do is behave and stay in a home or two, which home you like best, until you turn 18".

"That easy, huh?" Ms. Lane preferred to ignore the sarcasm in Elle's voice.

"When do we have to move?" Hope asked realizing she'd have to say goodbye to her roommate.

"After your little stunt, it has to be almost immediately," Mr. Jeffries said, "You'll relocate tonight. Reverend J, Ms. Lane and I will be at Over the Rainbows later to see you off".

Hope looked sadly at Elle's direction. She wondered if they should say goodbye now or later. Elle wasn't even paying attention to her. She was too busy climbing down the monkey bars and chewing her chocolates.

"That's it? As children we just take it and go with whatever any one of you wants?"

"Don't you think they know a little better than that, Elle?" Ms. Snow asked, "How tiring must it be to take care of oneself when one doesn't really have a clue. These people are really just trying to help…"

"Whatever!" Elle cut Ms. Snow's story short, "Where are we going anyways?"

**Lyla couldn't get over how peaceful** the eighth grade class had been today without Elle's intervention. Not that the girl wasn't there, but she sat in the back of the classroom, head down on her desk groaning from time to time. Ms. Snow explained, she'd acted that way in her class and the class before too, and as a side note, warned Lyla that was probably her reaction to the news. Even with a peaceful class, Elle had managed to make Lyla anxious as she could only imagine what Evan's reaction to the news would be. She took a bathroom break to text Louis they'd have to break the news gently to him and he suggested they go out for an early dinner before they had to go to Over the Rainbow's and pick up Elle. Apparently, Louis had been working on Elle's room all afternoon. _At least someone's excited_, Lyla thought as they rode in silence to the restaurant.

Louis chose a regular fast food joint for two reasons: one, it was Evan's favorite food and two, he'd invited Marshall. He guessed he had to be in the know too. Marshall did not arrive until after they ordered and sat down to eat. Evan was happy to see his uncle, especially because whenever he had dinner with them. This time, his parents had something important to tell them both. Evan hoped they would talk about the wedding now that his father was back to normal. First, he had to endure his uncle's talk about his new place.

"The grand opening will be next Friday and you have to be there!" Marshall said excitedly, "Well, not Evan cause he's a kid…"

Evan felt slightly offended, but brushed it off. He had better things to think about anyways.

"If we can find a baby sitter we'll go…" Lyla said to get things going. Louis knew pretty well clubs and pubs weren't really her thing and she wouldn't mind staying behind, if it was just her and Evan. Marshall looked at his sister-in-law-to-be wrinkle her nose and scoffed under his soda. After all this time and Louis wasn't able to loosen her up!

"What about that serious guy—what's his name?" Marshall suggested.

"Mr. Jeffries?" Evan asked.

"That's the guy!" he said, "He's your friend isn't he?" Marshall didn't dislike Mr. Jeffries, but he didn't really like him either. He questioned the sanity of a single man in adopting a teenage boy.

"I don't think he can, especially because there'll be two kids, by then…"

"Two kids?!" Marshall cut Louis off, "You're preggers Lyla?"

"No!" she wailed, feeling herself blush. "Louis here decided to take in another kid…"

"What?"

The three adults looked at Evan. Lyla regretted having blurted out like that. Marshall always got the worst of her! Evan felt like he couldn't stay in the room, so he fled. He knew better than to run away but nonetheless he did. Lyla and Louis ran after him, but Louis was ultimately stopped by his brother who needed some answers himself. Lyla was left alone to handle her kid.

"Evan!" she said as soon as he stopped in front of their car.

"I really want to go home now…" he said angrily.

"Listen," she kneeled before him as she spoke, "I am angry too, but your father feels like he has to help Elle; as if he was the only one who could. You know how he's been acting all strange? It's because he's felt like Elle's been calling and I guess that after his experience with you, he doesn't want to ignore the call…"

Evan didn't believe her. The music that built up from inside of him was their gift to him and so it was something only the three of them could share, no one else shared the gift and certainly not Elle Alexander! The three of them had a special bond and Elle just couldn't waltz in and break it or join it.

"Evan?" Lyla called.

"It's not fair…" he finally said.

"I know, but sometimes we just got to do things we don't want for the people we love…" she explained more to herself than to him, "We just have to—"

"Lyla?"

Lyla turned around to see where the masculine voice that called her name came from. She was surprised to see her friend, Nick Agustino standing behind her. He approached them accompanied by an older woman with wild curly black hair and a younger woman with freckles and red hair. The red hair she remembered seeing next to him in a magazine once, so it had to be his wife Priscilla. The stout older woman, she didn't know, although she looked awfully familiar.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

Lyla stood up, "Yeah, everything's fine. Funny running into you here…"

"Oh, yes," he laughed, "My wife's expecting and these wild cravings have us stopping at every weird joint in town! Priscilla, this is Lyla Novachek, renowned cellist and her son, also a musical prodigy. This is my wife."

"Nice to meet you," Lyla said and shook hands with the extra skinny woman. It wasn't at all true, because they have interrupted at a very important discussion between her and Evan.

"And this is my mother, Evangeline". He said as the stout woman extended her hand to greet Lyla.

"It is a pleasure to meet you!" the woman smiled.

"As it's mine…but, I beg your pardon, have we met before?" Lyla asked.

"My dear, I don't recall…" she smiled nervously.

"Lyla…" Louis called coming out of the restaurant, "We have to go…"

"Yeah, uh… Nick, this is Louis, my fiancée…" she said, "Louis, Nick and I went to Juilliard together. This is his wife and his mother…"

"Pleasure…" he said not really paying any attention. Soon, after some very awkward greetings on their part, the Connelly clan got into their car and took off. Marshall had concluded Louis was insane which caused him to walk out on him again. Had everyone been indulging him when they thought it was just a dream or a mere hallucination? Now that it was real and it was Elle, everyone turned their backs on him.

"That's Mrs. Goldman…" Evan said getting closer to his mother.

"What?" she asked, waking Louis from his thoughts as well.

"Mrs. Goldman, from Over the Rainbow…" he repeated, "That's where we've seen her before".

Lyla and Louis looked at each other confirming their son was right. Mrs. Goldman, the sweet lady who led them to Hope's room on more than one occasion was also, Nick's mother. Without saying another word herself, Louis did all the talking as he attempted to explain his decision to their son, Lyla's anxiety rose when they finally got to the home for girls. Mr. Jeffries, Arthur, Ms. Snow, Ms. Lane and Reverend J were already there along with some other people they didn't recognize.

As soon as they emerged, Ms. Lane reassured Lyla of her gratitude and explained the proceedings of cases such as these. The girls stood expectantly among them. Hope expressed her sadness about leaving Elle and not being able to say goodbye to Mrs. Goldman. Elle remained speechless. A New York Child Services representative explained the rules and handed each substitute care family a check, first monthly installment for the girls' care. Everyone was excited except for Ms. Lane, Elle and Lyla. Ms. Boyer wasn't even in the mix. Finally when it was time to go to their new homes, Elle looked at the check in Lyla's hand and said: "Is _that_ how much I'm worth? Shoot me now, mommy dearest. Hell really is for kids…"

i Hell Is For Children lyrics © CHRYSALIS MUSIC GROUP


	7. Chapter 7: New Normal

**Chapter 7: "New Normal"**

**By now Hope had learned** better tan to call anyplace 'home', but she was certainly happy to be staying with Ms. Lane and Ms. Snow. The apartment only had two bedrooms, but Ms. Snow insisted Hope had hers. In the meantime, she slept in the sofa bed. Hope felt very guilty until this morning when she found Ms. Snow to be as cheerful as always. They sung out loud in her car as they drove over. Ms. Lane was the serious one. She showed Hope around the apartment, asked her if she needed anything and then went to bed. Ms. Snow assured her, her sister would take time warming up to her. Until then, Hope hadn't thought about how taking her in could be hard for either one of them, but she promised to be in her best behavior. Today she was eager to find Elle and discover how her stay with the Connelly's had been. It seemed as if Elle wasn't at school, but Hope finally found her in the corner by the water fountain. Elle exchanged a brown lunch bag for some money.

"Hi, Elle!" Hope said as her friend counted the money.

"Not too bad," Elle smiled, "And I got to keep the apple".

"You sold your lunch?" Hope asked.

"We get food for free here. Why would I want to keep a tuna sandwich?"

Hope shrugged her shoulders and followed her friend to a table. Elle bit her apple while eying Hope's lunch. Her pink paper bag contained a sandwich, carrot sticks, a chocolate pudding cup and a juice pouch.

"Wow! They're not pulling any stops…"

When Hope realized Elle talked about her lunch, she knew she had to ask her now or risk never knowing. "It's a little weird staying with Ms. Lane and Ms. Snow, but I think I'm going to like it"

"Why are you living with Ms. Snow?"

"Because she is Ms. Lane's sister" Hope thought Elle knew.

"Sisters? No way!" Elle scoffed before taking another bite of her apple.

"What about you? How was your stay with the Connelly?" Hope finally asked.

Elle rolled her eyes, "How do you think?"

"I would think good" Hope smiled, "They're really good people…"

"Whatever. I'm just waiting for the right time to bolt! I really don't want to be there…"

Elle turned around and saw Evan and Arthur walking to their table. Hope smiled at the boys, but only Arthur returned the smile, as Evan and Elle stared angrily at one another.

"He so hates me!" Elle giggled.

Evan sat down and Arthur sat in front of him. He'd been meaning to ask him about Elle since first period but hadn't had the chance.

"I take it, it didn't go well with Elle last night?"

"She didn't say anything," Evan said, "But she's mean".

"She can be, but I don't think she'll be mean to your parents at home, you know?" Arthur smiled, "Jeffries told me she would just be placed in another home and she ain't stupid. She knows that she's better off at your place than anywhere else!"

"Well, I don't want here there!" Evan wailed.

"C'mon, Aug!" Arthur could tell his friend was upset, "It'll be over before you know it!"

They sat quietly after that and ate their lunches. Then Evan watched as Arthur left, still completely unaware of the trouble Elle was causing for his family.

"**How crazy do you think I am?"** Louis randomly asked his brother.

The place was really starting to shape up.Louis was unsure of whether "The Escape" would actually turn a profit, but for now he didn't think it really mattered. Also, he had bigger problems.

"What?" Marshall turned around to check if he heard right. He stopped organizing the bottles in the bar and Louis stopped wiping the tables. The Connelly brothers just stared.

"You already think I'm crazy," Louis insisted, "Now I'd like to know to what degree?"

Marshall smiled. He knew these types of questions where a trap, but he never thought he'd brother would trap him. Louis genuinely wanted an answer.

"I dunno that crazy has degrees, but you're more…impulsive" he answered.

"Impulsive? That's it?" Louis asked.

"And you're narrow minded," Marshall returned to his chore, "Single minded, whatever. I barely know all this crap. Your problem is yourself, mate…"

"Selfish? Is that your diagnoses, doctor?" Louis smiled. "And then I'm single minded?"

"Well, you did just open your home to a troubled girl. As if _your_ girl wasn't troubled enough already!"

Louis chuckled and sat at the bar, "I get the feeling like you want to talk…"

Marshall turned around to face his brother, "At the risk of getting in trouble, if you already got what you wanted—what you were searching for, why complicate things further?"

"Do you think I mean to?"

"You certainly wanted to! And frankly, I don't think you know what the hell you're doing!"

They stared at one another but didn't say a word. They could have and wanted to, but there were no new arguments. Instead, they returned to their chores. The bar would open in a few days and there was a lot more to get done.

**Even though she tried to come to terms with it, **Lyla still felt strange about bringing and sharing her home with Elle Alexander. She watched as the girl sat detached from them in their living room floor and scribbled away in her notebook that afternoon after school. Lyla sat across from her using a fold-up table to work on Wednesday's lesson plan, while Louis tutored the boys for their math test on Thursday. Although, Elle should be studying for it too, Lyla didn't bother to force her. After all, she didn't force her as her teacher to turn in her assignment today. Maybe, she was doing it now and would turn it in tomorrow. Still, Lyla doubted Elle was working on it at all.

"Elle!" Louis called for her for the fourth time, much to Lyla's annoyance.

"I don't need to study…" Elle finally answered.

"Really?" Arthur teased, "You know this stuff? You barely pay attention!"

"Ms. Snow's class bores me as do most my classes, and if you paid more attention to the teachers instead of me, you'd probably wouldn't need tutoring" Elle answered.

It felt wrong not to like a like a little girl, but Lyla just didn't like her! She had attitude and was cocky and hadn't once said thank you to them for taking her in.

"The only genius here is Aug and even he needs help with this stuff!" Arthur mumbled angrily.

Elle stood and walked to their table, "No. Evan's a musical prodigy who lacks mathematical skills, making him entirely right brained—I think".

"My dad knows math and _he's_ a musician…" Evan reminded her.

"Then that means you take after your mother…" Elle looked at Lyla, "No offense…"

Lyla could have sworn Elle smiled. She felt a strange urge to take Elle by the arm and ground her for being disrespectful. Then she remembered this wasn't her child. All she had to remember was that Elle Alexander wasn't her child.

"Alright smarty-pants," Louis seemed amused, "Why don't you just answer the practice sheet I made for the boys then? A genius like you should finish in no time and it will keep me out of your hair!"

"Fine!" Elle said taking Evan's piece of paper and sitting at the table's empty chair.

Louis handed Evan the practice sheet he originally made for Elle and looked at Lyla. His fiancé rolled her eyes and returned to her work. Just as the kids' practice, there was a knock on the door. Lyla went to open it, since Louis didn't want to leave the table and risk having the kids copy off each other. Also, lyla was happy to at least see Evan partake in some action. When she opened the door, Ms. Snow was waiting.

"Ms. Snow? What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised to see her.

"You're not here to check on your student's work are you?" Louis smiled at her.

"Not at all," Ms. Snow came in, "Though I am pleased to see them practicing."

"Don't get used to it. I'm a free spirit," Elle stood up, "Done."

"Already?!" Louis asked surprised. It's been just under ten minutes.

"Impossible!" Arthur wailed.

"You work on your paper, pal…" Louis said.

"I've got an innate knack for figuring things out…" Elle added.

"Then I supposed you've figured out that the best thing for someone in your particular situation is to make the best of things, study hard to get your GPA up, earn a scholarship and finally move on your own to whichever college you choose to?" Ms. Snow smiled. Lyla looked at them and wondered what that was all about.

"Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, or Oxford?" Elle said sarcastically, "College is not for me…"

"Think about it," Ms. Snow winked at her, "Anyways. I'm here for Arthur. Rich is at home visiting Elle and when he heard I was in the area he asked me if I could pick him up."

"Well, this is as far as I'm ever going to get…" Arthur handed his paper back to Louis and went to the living room to get his stuff.

"C'mon Arthur! It's not that hard!" Louis encouraged him.

Elle scoffed and left to her room. Ms. Snow wanted to ask Lyla about her guest, but a look at her and she knew how it was going. She simply put a hand on Lyla's shoulder and smiled sympathetically.

"Ready?" Ms. Snow asked Arthur when he returned.

"Yeah. Bye everyone, thanks for tutoring us again, Louis…" Arthur said.

"Hey, we'll nail that test!" Louis smiled and high fived Evan.

"How's this? If you guys do nail the test, we'll have a celebratory diner Friday night!" Lyla said and the boys celebrated.

"Then I'll make sure to correct your first… if that ensures my invitation to this dinner, that is…" Ms. Snow smiled and after some more goodbyes, left with Arthur.

Lyla moved her stuff back to the dinner table to sit with Evan and Louis. They worked on their own things in silence, stealing glances at each other like they did before. It felt back to normal.

"Be right back!" Louis said suddenly leaving the table, reminding them both things weren't normal. Evan and Lyla didn't say a word but looked at one another, conforming they knew exactly where he was gone to.

Louis opened the door to his den, unaccustomed to having to knock. It was Elle's room now. She was sitting on the sofa with her laptop on her lap and her earphones on. She took one off her ear just slightly waiting for whatever Louis had come to say.

"You did all but one correctly…" he said surprised.

"Told you I was a genius…"

"You got one wrong" he repeated.

"For your sake…" she returned her attention to the computer screen, "The correct answer is 43".

"45 actually, but you were very close…" Louis sat next to her making Elle feel uneasy. She's never been anywhere alone with a grown man, and regardless of the nature of his intentions, Elle was a loner. "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Why do you keep up this lie?"

"It's no façade. I am who I am and that is that!"

"I'm beginning to suspect math's not your only good subject," he smiled, "You used the word façade and used it correctly, just as you used innate back there. Why pretend like you're not good?"

"Listen, I got a father ok?" The only _façade_ here is this! Ms. Novachek barely tolerates me and if Evan spoke at all he'd say something really mean… just talk to Ms. Lane and have her take me back and this will just have been a bad dream!"

"Why not focus your energy on something you can actually do?" Louis smiled, "As for your dad, he's welcomed to come and take you any time. Ms. Lane would be especially thrilled to meet him and I think you would too. In the meantime, just do what Dylan suggested. In my opinion the one class that could hold you back is Lyla's".

Elle chuckled, "She totally hates me, doesn't she?"

"She doesn't hate you," he said, "But it wouldn't kill you to be nicer to her".

"I don't do nice."

"I bet you could."

"You know how clichéd it is to be blonde _and_ a good girl?" she asked.

"Just about as clichéd as it seems to be blonde and mean." he smiled, "But you are definitely different. You used clichéd."

Elle stood up, backwards to him. She didn't want him to see her smile anymore than she wanted to find him smiling. She didn't want to like him at all. "Fine. I'll just have to tell you the truth!"

"And what's that?" he asked. Louis was so amused by her, he crossed his legs and made himself comfortable on the couch. Elle looked towards the open door.

"She's in the kitchen with Evan" he said.

"Classical music sucks!" she wailed and Luis chuckled, "I get the history and all that, but it's boring! Makes me feel dead rather than alive! I felt better at Ms. Snow's little choir club, project glee thing…"

"The what?"

"Ms. Snow and Hope are starting a music—well, show choir kind of club or band, they don't really know what they're doing. Yesterday it was just me and them and I'm in as part of my punishment for trashing her classroom last week."

"Well, you're a rock star. That's what they do…" he teased.

"Which is why Ms. Novachek is crazy to expect me to write a story to one of the four seasons for Vivaldi and not fall asleep! Man! If I had been able to control my temper and not broken my guitar! I would show everyone at school what _real_ music sounds like!"

"You play?" Louis was curious.

"Used to," she sat and sulked, "I broke my guitar a couple of months ago in a fight. I'm saving to by a new one though and I am that much closer to it!"

While Elle spoke, Louis ran out and returned with his guitar case, opened it and held his guitar as an offering for Elle.

Evan just couldn't concentrate enough to do this! The exercises Ms. Snow assigned as practice where even harder than his dad's or Mrs. Stevens! And of course, his father had forgotten all about him to go fetch Elle. How he longed for the days where all he would do was take pictures and play guitar with his dad. By now he should have come to terms with the fact that summer was over, but he couldn't. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, he heard the strum of a guitar. A strange melody came from the hallway and he was forced to follow it. Then there, feeling like an outsider in the place he called his home, Evan found his dad jamming to some tune he failed to recognize with that girl. Elle played the guitar and sang for him, but his dad already knew the words. Louis sang along with her. The tune said something about believing in magic and music, but his father joined specifically in a lone that hurt Evan quite a bit: "_Just come and listen, it will start with a smile that won't wipe off your face no matter how hard you try…"_1

Evan was already listening, but he couldn't smile. Evan was only expected to practice his math tonight, not make his dad smile—truly smile—for the first time in weeks.

"**See you after school, Ellie…"** Ms. Snow said as she hurried outside from her class to Ms. Novachek's. Lately, she struggled to find the silver lining. As she walked down the hallway, watching her classmates and other kids interact, Elle wondered is she was ever meant to have a normal life.

Ms. Novachek's class would take place in the auditorium again today. Elle liked that building because it was the only thing bringing together all the different grades building into one whole school. Faust Augusto Auditorium was the heart of the academy. Although, music class was torture, she enjoyed laughing at her classmates' essays. They had to read it out loud as the inspiring composition played in the background. Elle was still debating whether she should hand in her assignment at all. With most of her escape plans in the back burners, she couldn't ignore Ms. Snow's suggestion.

"Alright everyone, please settle down. Sit near the front so you can hear your classmates…" Ms. Novachek ordered.

Even though she had an overdose of Elle Alexander, teaching was the perfect distraction for Lyla. She was used to teaching younger grades, but she found the intermediate and high school students very engaging in conversation and class discussion. She also had work overload for taking on so many classes, but she didn't really mind.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" she asked, positioning herself near the radio.

"Ms. Novachek? Is eating allowed in the auditorium?" asked Gina referring to Elle.

"Is whining aloud?" Elle asked eating a chip.

Lyla ignored them as Theresa, another student, volunteer to read her essay. She was happy to have a short class today since most of the students had read their essays the day before, thanks to Arthur leading the way. Kid after kid, Lyla was pleased to have her first assignment be a success. Evan was up next and his season was spring.

As he made his way on stage the empty auditorium gave him chills. He'd been able to perform in front of thousands of people, but always found it harder to speak in front of his 22 classmates.

"We can't hear you!" shouted Elle.

"Shut up then!" Arthur told her.

"Enough, you two," Ms. Novachek said, "Evan, you have to speak up. I'm afraid the class can't hear you".

"Yeah, do as mommy says…" Elle shouted again, this time with her mouth full.

"She's your mom too…" mumbled Gina.

"Your sources have misled you. She's not my mom, Reggie…"

"Don't call me that!" Gina stood up and yelled.

"Girls, stop! Be respectful of your classmates. Besides, the longer we take, the longer until I dismiss…" Lyla heard the collective groan and smiled to herself, "Alright Evan, you may begin".

Evan cleared his throat, "Spring reminds me of a song I once heard. It was sad and it called to me though it didn't know my name. The air was still kind of cold and the flowers hadn't bloom. At least not all of them. I was waiting for a subway train, keeping to the only think I knew. I had my first concert in the park, but I was giving it up. I wanted to give it up finally believing that no one could hear me, until I heard the sad song. But I remembered the advice of a friendly stranger and I couldn't give up. So I ran away from what I knew to face the only think I've ever known and that's music. After that, everything came together. I was found. Last spring I stopped hearing the music and I started making it instead. The end. Thank you."

Lyla was so proud she had to hold back tears as the class clapped politely. She wondered if Louis had helped him at all. Evan handed his paper satisfied of the work he had done.

"Great job, Evan" Lyla whispered as he handed in his paper.

"You two don't realize how transparent you are…" Elle scoffed. She made an awful noise with the empty bag of chips.

"And where's you assignment, Elle?" Lyla asked while Evan returned to his seat.

Elle readied herself to answer the question when Ms. Snow came barging in, "I'm so sorry to interrupt, Ms. Novachek, but may I make an announcement?"

Lyla smiled, annoyed to have her class interrupted, but moved aside to allow Ms. Snow center stage.

"Hello again, guys. I forgot to tell you in my class, but…" her speech as interrupted by the end of school bell, "HOLD IT! Nobody's leaving until I'm done", the class wailed, but returned to their seats, "Thank you. As you may have heard, I am starting an official school show choir and am looking for talented members and volunteers, including parents. So, if you play an instrument, dance or sing, auditions will be held all this week and volunteer sheets are put up in the bulletin board and my classroom. There's more information on the school website so have mom and dad check it out. If any of you is interested hang around here for a while after school. Any questions?"

"What's a show choir?" Arthur asked.

"If you want to know, you'll have to stay after school. Remember, everyone from sixth grade to senior is welcomed to join!"

At her words, the students jumped up and ran outside. Arthur, Evan and Elle stayed behind along with a couple of other kids from different grades, including Hope, who'd just come in.

"Thanks," Ms. Snow said to Lyla and then called her students to the stage.

Evan helped his mother gather her stuff before they headed out. Elle, on the other hand, walked straight towards the exit.

"Please, Elle. Not today. We're really pressed for time since Evan and I have to make it to Juilliard on time and I am not in the mood to run after you!"

"Oh, mommy dearest…" Elle said dramatically, "Have you forgotten your bad seed—bad girl, bad, bad girl—has to stay for choir? It's part of my classroom trashing punishment, 'member?"

Evan looked at Lyla. She had completely forgotten! Elle did have to stay, otherwise she'd be suspended and then Child Services would be all over their case for something Elle did before even coming into their care. Lyla exhaled sharply and took a hand to her face trying to figure out a way to solve this.

"I'm gonna go get a soda—hey, what are you doing here?"

At Elle's words Lyla looked up. Louis stood in front of them. Evan was quick to greet him but she needed to process his presence at school. "What are you doing here?" Lyla repeated Elle's question.

"Elle told me about the after school choir and I thought I'd come and check it out" he smiled.

"Problem solved then! Be right back…" Elle hurried outside.

"What problem?" Louis asked Lyla.

"We've got Juilliard…" Evan answered.

"Right. I get those days confused. Ok, then. You take one kid and I'll take the other…" Louis said plainly.

"Yeah, only this one's ours…" Lyla couldn't help saying. Louis looked at Evan and moved closer to Lyla so he wouldn't hear.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"I just don't understand how you're suddenly interested in extracurricular activities. You've never been to Juilliard!"

"It's not like that's actually extracurricular! They don't have a bench for parents to sit and watch their children? Lyla, really? Evan's the only kid there!" Louis said.

Lyla sighed, "You know, you're right. I'm sorry. You're right. Come on, Evan, we don't want to be late."

**Lyla was sure to leave Evan** at the door to his classroom and kissed his forehead before retiring to her classroom. She'd cancelled class today upon her students request to go see an off Broadway play. She'd been invited to come along, but she couldn't leave Evan. Besides, she had too much on her plate right now and whatever time she had to work with she couldn't waste. Her schedule reminded her of a Child Services visit sometime next week. Lyla sighed. She was so frustrated with Elle and Louis! Why was he so interested in this girl?

"I'm starting to believe my company saddens you…"

"Nick," Lyla smiled.

Nick looked at her while reclined to the door frame, "Do you want to talk about it? Is it August?"

Lyla watched as Nick pulled a chair in front of her, "It's not Evan. It's nothing really…"

"Ah. That seems to me like something. Maybe his dad? But, you don't want to talk about it and I won't force you. I was looking around for you for something else".

"What?" she asked.

"My fourth popular album is coming out soon and I'll be presenting it in a concert in Madison Square Garden this spring. I was wondering, if you'd want to work with me on a bonus track?"

She laughed, "I can't sing!"

"I know," he laughed, "I meant accompany me with your cello? I want to do something kind of acoustic, just music and cello. My manager's been trying to get in touch with your agent, but…"

"I don't have an agent anymore," Lyla pushed thoughts of her father aside, "It's just me".

"Would you consider it then? Where should I send the papers to?" Nick was very excited and although Lyla kept glancing at her busy schedule, she couldn't help but get excited too.

"You forget, I haven't said yes…" she smiled at him. She thought his deep blue eyes would dart out of his face with excitement or explode with disillusion. "You know what? Alright. Send the papers to this address and I'll see if it's a definite yes!"

"Alright!" Nick celebrated while Lyla wrote her address in a piece of paper. After she handed it to him, Nick jumped and kissed her cheek, "You won't be sorry! It'll be a hit! You'll see, we'll top the charts!" He said running out of the classroom and almost bumping into someone Lyla couldn't quite make out.

"What's going to be a smash hit?" said the voice and Lyla jumped to her feet excitedly to find her best friend, Lizzy, standing there… looking pregnant.

**Elle and Louis couldn't stop laughing.**

"Why are you trying so hard?" Elle questioned between laughs.

Louis couldn't answer. He simply wiped his tears from all the laughing. He wanted to do something special with Elle, but until now he hadn't realize what a bad idea it was to take her to "_A date with dad"_ at _American Girl Place_. "I thought you'd like it!" he finally said.

"And what part of our conversation last night gave you _that_ idea?" she said as they resumed their laughing fit.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here!"

Elle picked up her messenger bag and followed Louis outside. They hadn't eaten, so he knew she was still hungry, yet they couldn't look at one another or they'd start laughing again. For some reason Elle expected Louis to bring the car around, but instead they took the bus. After a 30 minute ride in silence and a walk a few blocks down, they stopped at a corner place called _Café Wha? _From the minute they walked in, Elle fell in love with the place and Louis could tell. It wasn't very lit inside and it was packed, but Louis knew someone who knew someone. They were given a corner table. Just after they ordered their food, it was announced that the band would be playing shortly. A live band! Elle was so excited she had forgotten all about the rules of not being nice and not liking the Connelly and spontaneously thanked her guardian.

"You're welcome…" he smiled and that's when she realized what she had done.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked turning serious.

"What? You're not hungry?"

"You know what I mean," she said, "Did you talk to Ms. Snow? Did she say something about me?"

"This has nothing to do with Dylan. I'm your guardian and I wanted to do something special for you. That's what parents do, isn't it?"

"Well, you already have a son, so you tell me. Isn't your relationship with him recent? Shouldn't you be doing something special for him instead?"

"Evan wouldn't like this place. Besides, I always thought I'd bring a special girl here…"

"That's creepy…" she shrugged, "But I guess I'm perfect for the part. I can't imagine Ms. Novachek here…"

"Hey there guys, my name's Owen and I'll be taking over for—Louis! How are you old dog? Haven't seen much of you around these parts lately, eh?"

"I'm good. I thought you were back in San Francisco, though…"

"Nah, man, New York's my girl… and is this yours? Can't say I figured you'd have a young lass, but she looks just like ya, man! Nice to meet you, princess."

"You too…" Elle said containing a laugh.

"Listen, man, I'll be your waiter now, so just let me know if I can get you anything to drink?" Owen smiled.

"Just two sodas…" Louis said. He didn't bother in setting things straight for Owen. He was determined to get to know Elle better and the correction risked a setback.

**Dylan watched as her sister found** anything and everything to do to distract herself and stay away from Hope. The girl had asked to buy the ingredients to make them brownies, but the treat remained untouched by Andrea. She disregarded the gesture completely. Hope was under her care yet she wouldn't go near her. Dylan thought the situation was ridiculous.

"What is wrong with you?" Dylan entered her sister's room unannounced.

"Dyl! You scared me!"

"Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding. I'm busy" Ms. Lane replied.

"Doing what?!"

"Organizing Elle's files, for one. I got an interview with the Connelly's next week".

"Have you prepared at all for _your_ interview next week, Andy?" Dylan insisted, "Andrea, Hope is _your_ kid right now and it was _your_ choice to make it so, so stop sulking! Suck it up and take responsibility for her. You can't let Richard down".

"As usual, Dylan, you fail to see the bigger picture…"

"The bigger picture?" she was angry, "Andrea, when mom became unable to care for me and my dad disappeared for days, your dad took me in. Every single time! Did you really think it was just a holiday? Your father took me in and helped me in all he could and to this day he still phones me to see if I'm ok. If you can't open your heart out like that, then you are more mom's daughter than I thought and I got more from David than you did, yourself. What are you doing to actually help these girls? Elle included. Nothing, really. You are putting so many walls up, you're going to destroy yourself…"

Ms. Lane watched her sister go. Dylan would never understand her now, if she didn't understand why the walls had to go up. She could not allow her life to crumble again.

**Lyla waited up for Louis **and Elle who didn't come home until, after ten. They came in laughing and didn't bother to excuse themselves. Finally, Lyla sent Elle to bed. She needed to talk to Louis. At first she could only stare at him and wonder if he was even the same man she loved. Another look into his eyes and her broken heart fluttered with excitement to be with him. Even though he was the same man, she felt like she didn't know him.

"Lyla…" Louis began to speak.

"What were you thinking? She's 13 and under our care! Plus, it's a school night."

"Wait. What are you getting at?" he asked offended, "I have that girl's best interest at hear, but you won't help me! You've not been very welcoming and insist on being intimidated by a little girl!"

"She's not that little and we're not supposed to be throwing her a party for the awful behavior here or at school. She's a kid and needs direction" Lyla yelled at him, but quickly remembered Evan was probably asleep and she didn't want to wake him.

"Direction? Like you're able to give Evan? You still walk on eggshells around him—around me!" Louis said frustrated, "At least I am close to them…"

"Close to them?" Lyla chuckled, "You're like a big kid choosing to be their friend and then choosing one friend over the other to satisfy your selfishness! Neither one of them needs more friends. You're the responsible adult, be his father then!"

"And I'm trying hard to be that, but I can't forget about who I am and just hide behind too much work without any real meaning!"

Lyla was mad. She was angrier than she ever remembered feeling, "You know what, Louis, I don't feel comfortable sleeping with you tonight…"

"That won't be a problem…" Louis took his keys from the table and walked out the door.

It was surprising and it stung. Lula stood by the table trying to quiet the thoughts running through her head. Louis stood by the door just outside waiting for the answer of what he should do. Elle heard by her door watching Evan eavesdrop by the end of the dark hallway as they were supposed to be asleep.

"Thanks a lot…" Evan angrily said to Elle as he walked past her back to his bedroom.

1 "Do You Believe in Magic" Written by: John B. Sebastian. Published by: Alley Music


	8. Chapter 8: Breakthrough

**Episode 8: Breakthrough**

_**Evan couldn't help but stare at her.**_ Elle was destroying his family. It had been almost three days since his dad left. Evan saw him a night ago, but it wasn't the same. For one, he was angry at Louis. Secondly, Elle had to share in their time—or was it _him_ who was sharing in on _their _time? Louis seemed to enjoy Elle's company far better than he ever seemed to enjoy Evan's. Evan couldn't believe Elle's presence had been so destructive in just a few weeks. A whirlwind of emotions bottled up inside him like he'd never experienced before and he felt the sudden urge to do something about it.

"What's wrong Aug?" Arthur asked. He much rather be playing football with his friends, but August didn't quite seem like himself. Arthur asked him about it all week, but he wouldn't say.

"Elle" he said this time when he asked again.

He watched Evan walk across the playground where the overhead ladder was. Today, Elle sat atop of it throwing M&M's at the passer byers, while Hope sat on its side.

"Hi guys…" Hope said shyly.

"Wow, Evan!" Elle said when they arrived, "We should call Ms. Novachek. She'll definitely want a picture of the first time you crossed the playground. Hurrah!"

"Leave my mom alone!" Evan shouted. "And my dad, too!" he quickly added. Arthur figured he was even more so annoyed at her comment, though it was true; Evan never really played at recess.

"Hang on," said Elle while hanging from the bars. Finally, she jumped to the ground, right in front of him, "I've not done a thing!"

"Elle, just leave him alone ok?" Arthur added.

"So now it's _my_ fault that Louis left the apartment?" Elle scoffed, "You're even more delusional than I thought if you think it has _anything_ to do with _me_."

"He left because of you!" Evan yelled calling everyone's attention.

Hope didn't like the way the other kids circled them as if waiting for a fight, "Stop it. Let's just go…"

"No!" Elle shook Hope's hand off hers angrily, "It wasn't _my_ fault because I didn't _do_ anything. Your parents' relationship was already screwed up when _I_ got there. Honestly! I think he would have left either way having to put up with all of Lyla's ridiculous insecurities!"

"NO!" Evan pushed Elle. The girl didn't expect it and so she lost her balance and fell. Not one kid was sorry to see her fall, aside from Hope who helped her up.

"I feel very, very sorry for you, Evan. I do…" everyone was expectant of the blonde's reaction, but she didn't do anything.

"I feel sorry for _you_ because now I know why nobody wants you!" Evan said as he tried to push her down again. This time Elle was prepared and instead, pushed him. Evan fell to the ground effortlessly.

"Just stop you two!" Arthur yelled, "You're going to get in trouble! And as for the rest of you, go on and mind your own business!" The rest of the kids looked at one another, but didn't leave. They had no reason, as the argument was getting better for their entertainment.

"That's because I have a personality. You either like me or you don't and neither option is really my problem. Don't you ever wonder if your parents love you because they _have_ to love you? It's not like you've been together forever?"

"Take it back!" Evan said and the rest of the kids pitched in. The whole playground was in an uproar! It was them against Elle, though not necessarily in favor of Evan. Hope managed to escape and run inside to look for help. Arthur tried his best to get everyone to stop fighting. Hope could only find Mrs. Burns who's nervous complaints only worsen into hysteric crying and yelling. Finally, Ms. Snow intervened with Headmaster Braverman in tow. As it was expected to happen, the whole quarrel was blamed on Evan and Elle.

_**Lyla couldn't believe**_ that the first time she saw Louis was at the Principal's office. They were both called in. Headmaster Braverman explained how Evan would have a week's detention for being his first offense, but Elle… she'd have to be suspended for a month at least. After the news, whatever little concentration Lyla had was compromised. A month? Did it mean Lane had the power to remove her from their guardianship now? If Elle was to stay alone with Louis during then (she couldn't get off work) what would it mean for their relationship? Elle was destroying it and didn't seem to care. They worked so hard.

"Sorry, I'm late…" said Ms. Lane. She entered the office and Louis offered her his chair.

"Ms. Lane, you've been called because I've no further disciplinary action but to suspend Elle for a week. We've tried everything, but she's gone far enough. Today she started a fight with Evan and that's not good. I figured you'd know how to handle _that_ particular situation".

"Thank you for having called," Ms. Lane said, "At the moment I am working on removing her from the Connelly's home into a more permanent situation…"

"Wait. What?" Louis interrupted, "You're removing her? On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that she and Evan don't get along and that's quite an important one…" the Headmaster said.

"And it won't be ignored, I assure you…" Lyla said, quite pleased to know Elle's removal had been scheduled.

"No, it'll be addressed," Louis shrugged his shoulders, "We'll deal with it."

"I am sure…" the Headmaster said before dismissing them.

"Well, I guess this is it," Ms. Lane sighed, "I am sorry for the trouble this has caused you. I'll make sure to find a suitable place for her".

"Wait, no…" Louis protested, "You can't just take her! I was just starting to break her shell…"

"Maybe it's better that way, Louis. It'll be an easier transition if there are no emotional attachments".

"Come one, Lane. You know we're good for her!"

"Good for her at what cost?" Lyla weighed in, "Our son fought at school today, Louis, and he barely makes a sound when talking to us! They don't get along and Arthur told me they were arguing because of you!"

"You?" Ms. Lane asked.

"My leaving is neither one of their fault…"

"So, it's mine?" Lyla interrupted Louis with her question. "See this? This tension between us started when she came into our lives".

"I think the tension was bubbling to the surface and her presence just popped it…" Louis said angrily.

"Well, it's about to end!" Ms. Lane scoffed, "It is obvious her presence in your household is causing friction among its members. I'll talk to my superiors and place her elsewhere. In any case I'll need a couple of days, maybe a week…"

"Alright then…" Lyla said to the rhythm of Louis footsteps leaving the room.

Once outside, they found the kids sitting at the extreme opposite of one another, dirty and with grass stains on their shirts. Evan trembled in his seat with worry over his punishment at school and at home. Elle had her sunglasses on, her head reclined on the back wall and she blew her gum.

"Evan, are you alright?" Louis asked kneeling in front of him and holding his shoulders. Lyla stood close by and ran her hand through Evan's hair. Evan nodded.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up. You still have a couple of classes. You got after-school detention so you'll be missing Juilliard for a week…" Lyla said to him.

"Are you coming back home?" Evan asked Louis.

Louis stood up and sighed, "Yes. Tonight…"

Evan smiled and allowed his mother to guide him to the teacher's lounge to get cleaned up.

"Come on Elle," Ms. Lane said, "You've done it".

"Ironic. I didn't do anything…" she mumbled as she stood up to leave with Ms. Lane.

"Hang on. You can't take her just like that!" Louis wailed. "We're her legal guardians right now and you need our consent. Otherwise it be kidnapping wouldn't it?"

Ms. Lane sighed and put her sunglasses on, "Very well. I'll be calling you…"

"Come on Elle…" he said seriously without knowing that this time Elle was really scared of being in trouble.

_**Ms. Lane drowned in paper work.**_ There was nothing new or of importance she could find out about Elle, her parents, benefactors, anyone! Her birth certificate was no help and every other thing she read about her led to Over the Rainbow's School for girls. That was all there was. She was born and placed there until now, but by some mysterious force she was allowed to do whatever she wanted. Andrea knew she had to be missing something!

"Still here?" Mr. Jeffries asked her coming into her office.

"Yes," she said looking at him. It was the first time Mr. Jeffries saw her frustrated and defeated as she was and she was well aware of it. But somehow she couldn't regain her composure, "I have to find a new place for Elle…"

"Oh?" he asked, but couldn't sit down as her office space really was a mess.

"Her presence is damaging Louis and Lyla's relationship and we can't sacrifice Evan for the resolution of a mysterious case…"

Mr. Jeffries was shocked. No one was half as tenacious as Andrea Lane and it shocked him to hear her willing to give up on a complex case, the kind she liked so much. Some people felt adrenaline sky-diving or eating bugs, but Andrea loved complexity.

"In any case, I've been wasting my time. Apparently Elle's benefactors have taken the case up to the DA who is planning to dissolve it. There is no case. Elle has legal guardians. But how can everyone overlook the fact that they are unknown and the girl lives in a boarding school as if it was her foster home?"

"You should have been a detective…" Richard chuckled, "Just now, I was reminded of when we met at college."

"How so?" Ms. Lane seemed more offended than surprised.

"The genuine need to help someone by solving their lives' mystery; that was all you back then. I thought for a while you'd want to be a lawyer, but you just had to go and get yourself mixed up with the human mind…"

"Well it's fascinating!" Ms. Lane argued.

"I know, but sometimes it feels like you want to argue everything with reason…"

"Richard, it's the brain. The human mind!" she chuckled, "Is there any weapon stronger than reason to fight against it?"

"The heart," he smiled, "The heart, as we refer to it, is in our heads not pumping blood through our systems. Feelings and emotions come straight from where the voice of reason does and you can't go against it because it has proven to be much stronger…"

"You are a hopeless romantic, Rich…"

"And by being so, I am also a realist. Sometimes a little faith and the voice of reason is all we need to take us home. Good night, Andrea. Don't stay here too late."

"I won't…" she said as Mr. Jeffries left her office. His words resonated in her mind. She'd shut down the emotional side of her brain if she could, but then she realized that was a completely emotional decision. What was she thinking with then? She'd closed her heart… mind or whatever with an emotional argument when she truly believed that reason could overpower emotions. Now she was confused. At this rate she'd never find the home Richard referred to. She looked at her watch. At this rate she's never even get to her actual home! Home. Home. Home… Home? Andrea's mind worked faster than she could register. Her heart pumped out of her chest as she knew what she had to do! If all of the loose ends in Elle's case led to Over the Rainbow Private Home for Girls, that's where she had to look.

Andrea watched her fingers type furiously into her computer. Part of her brain knew what she was doing, but her consciousness just couldn't keep up. It was exhilarating! Then finally there it was. Over the Rainbow was founded by Coral Klein-Richardson. She wondered why she hadn't heard this before, not even when she started working at Over the Rainbow. Apparently, Mrs. Klein was the owner until the year 1999 when it was sold to… Evangeline Goldman? Mrs. Goldman was the school's owner? Now more than ever Ms. Lane was convinced there had to be something more to Elle's case. And it was being deliberately hidden.

_**They drove aimlessly through town.**_ Louis wasn't talking to her and it worried her to think she'd made him mad just as she was about to leave forever. She knew why Ms. Lane asked her to come with her, but wasn't too sure of why Louis intervened.

"I didn't start the fight or hit Evan you know…" she said, just so he'd know. If she hadn't hurt his son, it was all for him.

"I know…" he said turning the engine.

"How?" she scoffed.

"Evan is shaken, but fine. I would think someone like you could really hurt him if she wanted to and I'm not just talking physical damage here…" he said before their ride became silent.

Elle wanted to say something, but for the first time since she could remember, she was ashamed. She felt shy and sad and she couldn't explain why exactly. A tear trickled on her cheek and Elle did the best she could to disguise it. All in all this was worse on her than it was on them. "I'm sorry I've caused a wedge in yours and Ms. Novacek's relationship…"

"It hasn't been much you, but me. Although you could have cooperated more…" he sighed, "You've made it so extreme that there's no objection and in defending you or wanting to protect you it's like I am choosing you over them."

"But you're not. _They're_ your family, not I…" Elle said unable to look at him.

"And they've been more than accommodating of the situation. Maybe it was all just an impulse, but I'm not willing to lose my family over it…"

"And you shouldn't…" Elle paused, "It's not worth it." She hoped he didn't think she tried to manipulate him with guilt. This was the only truth whether she liked to admit it or not.

"What was that song I heard you singing the day you trashed Ms. Snow's classroom?"

Elle thought about it and then she remembered, "Which one?" she asked, hoping they didn't have to discuss it further.

"Hmm… it said something about a wrong turn in heaven?"

"What about that song?"

"Was it a cover or an original?"

"Original…" she could feel him staring but still she wouldn't look.

"_Find me. Save me, you already love me, so save me, find me, I'm already yours. You've been here, I've been lost, oh so lost without you. One wrong turn in heaven, and I am in hell. You've seen me, I've seen you, and though our minds have forgotten, Our hearts have always known. Please save me, I've always been yours…"_ Louis smiled, "Isn't that how it goes?"

"How do you know that?" Elle asked and Louis understood she wasn't well. He stopped the car in front of a building with a Dentist's office, the post office and a furniture store. Louis looked at Elle and was scared. She was pale and crying like she couldn't control what she was feeling. He knew exactly what she felt because he had felt it a couple of months prior. "I've never sung the whole thing before… how do you…?"

"Relax, ok. I know it sounds strange but I could hear you when you did sing it…"

"I didn't even _know_ you! How could you have heard it? Someone is playing a sick trick on me and I don't like it!" she cried.

"No, Elle." Louis ran a hand through her blonde tresses, "I know it sounds farfetched, but it is true. That's why I decided to take you in when Ms. Lane asked us to. That's why Lyla couldn't decline, because she knew about my dream, the one where I could hear you. Evan—when Evan found us he could _hear_ us, as if he was a hound smelling—searching—for the fox, only he could hear us through a melody that built up from inside of us connecting us. Lyla and I heard it when we met and we followed it."

Elle started laughing. She seemed hysterical and Louis could tell she didn't believe him, "I don't know how you heard me, but this is going too far. What do you really want from me, Louis?"

"You don't believe me?" he scoffed, "What if those lyrics were actually transformed into a petition? You clearly ask someone to save you, to take care of you! It also said that we've seen each other and I did see your eyes before I ever even met you. It's those eyes…"

"Stop it!" Elle said looking straight at him for the first time in about an hour, "This is getting out of hand and uncomfortable. I might seem and act as if I was older, but please let's not forget I am only 13!"

"I've not forgotten, but maybe you have…" Louis said, "There is no romantic sense to your lyrics. There's only sadness and hope. Besides, is it really a coincidence that New York Child Services is suddenly interested in your case? After all these years?!"

"No it's not!" she yelled. Louis was rendered speechless. He told Andrea he was breaking her out of her shell, but he didn't really think so. That had been a lie, an excuse for him to actually try this time. Now it seemed to him as if Elle was breaking.

"What do you mean?"

Elle sighed, "Please. Just take me to Over the Rainbow…" she cried and Louis was not only reminded she was just a little girl, but he saw it too. And it moved him. It moved him to tears because he could feel her heart breaking as his own frustration mounted. Louis couldn't help but hold her in his arms and kiss her head, unable to promise her it would all work out. And Elle let him because she searched in her memory and couldn't remember a time when anyone had hugged her for no reason and she rather liked it. She liked feeling loved and protected even if it was just for a moment. She realized she needed to break down and have someone else help her put the pieces back together. Because she'd always known her want was also a need if only she would let someone take care of her.

"Why won't you let me—us—take care of you?" Louis said softly, revealing his frustration impulsively.

And Elle was convinced Louis could read her mind. Then there, in his embrace, finally feeling like she'd be ok, Elle realized no one had ever asked her that question and she made a mental note to discover later if anyone else before him had tried.

"_**Why Ms. Lane!**_ It's always a pleasure to have you, but what brings you here so late?" asked Mrs. Goldman.

Ms. Lane looked at her watch. It was only 7:15pm, "I hope I'm not disturbing peace with my visit?"

"Oh, no! Not at all!" Mrs. Goldman smiled, "The girls are just planning the annual Christmas Ball. You see, they have to start now because they will all be going home for Christmas as customary and their move starts right after Thanksgiving. It's a long holiday for them, but it makes it easier to deal with boarding."

"Did Elle go back home after Thanksgiving too?" Ms. Lane asked.

"No. She spent it here, with us. Is that why you're here? Do you want to speak of Elle? Well, I am afraid Margie isn't—"

"Not truly, Mrs. Goldman," Ms. Lane cleared her throat, "I was actually here to see you."

"Me?!" Mrs. Goldman was surprised, "How could I help you? I tell you straight away, my dear, there is very little I know and that's just the way I like it. The girls are just passing through no matter how many years they end up spending with us, so I rather not know their backgrounds or their futures. It hurts, you know. I rather just enjoy them now and keep hope that I'll enjoy them tomorrow. What more is an old lady to do…"

"I suppose so." She smiled, "But really Mrs. Goldman…"

"Oh, call me Vangie!"

"What is that short for?"

"Evangeline…"

"Oh." Ms. Lane remembered what she read, "Well, Vangie, I was actually considering running my own orphanage, not that this is one, but I think I'd much rather like for it to serve as a boarding school for them. You see, Elle's case has made me realize that not every child can be placed and they still need a good education, so I thought I'd combine the two with this new business model. As you may have heard from Margene, my contract with Child Services is only temporary and I'm not sure I'd want to return to California or Oklahoma where I'm originally from."

"That is a grand idea, my dear! And you with all those smarts…" Mrs. Goldman hurried into the kitchen with Ms. Lane following close behind. She served two glasses of water, "But why would you want to speak to _me_ about it? Margie runs the place! She'd be of better assistance than me!"

"She would for operational references, but I need start up ideas. Every time I searched boarding schools Over the Rainbow came up and I was greatly surprised to find out you are the owner!"

Ms. Lane's revelation stopped Mrs. Goldman right in the middle of her walk back to the refrigerator. Coolly, Ms. Lane studied the old lady's reaction as she drank some of her water. It took a few seconds for Mrs. Goldman to react, but when she turned around to face her, she was already in a different mood.

"I inherited it and nothing more. It's really Margene's now, so if you have any more questions, I suggest you speak with her," she said and walked away leaving Ms. Lane in the kitchen. Their conversation was over and though she didn't know how any of it would lead to Elle, she was happy to have found the loophole.

_**Lyla entertained her best friend Lizzy**_ to the best of her abilities, given her current situation. She'd been unable to disguise her anger when she discovered Louis had left with Elle. He didn't even notice the school as he was supposed to.

"Why is Evan so upset?" Lizzy asked. The women looked into the living room where Evan sat sulking on the sofa strumming his guitar to no melody in particular.

"He got into a fight at school today…" Lyla explained while she poured them some tea.

"Isn't that usual of boys his age?" Lizzy interrupted.

"For _him_ it is very unusual. Also, he fought Elle, the girl staying with us," Lyla explained, though she could understand from Lizzy's blank expression, her friend failed to see the importance of the matter.

"How is that by the way? I thought you were crazy to take a teenage girl in when you told me about it at Juilliard!" Lizzy laughed, "I've heard only scary references about teenage girls, so I'm secretly terrified that my baby will be a girl…"

Lyla smiled and scoffed, "Trust me, no matter how difficult, no girl compares to Elle Alexander…"

Just as Lyla finished her sentence the door to the apartment was opened and in came Elle, followed by Louis. Elle's long, dirty curls fell all over her face as she made no effort to push them elsewhere. She dragged her feet somewhat dramatically, in Lyla's opinion, and wore her sunglasses atop of her head. Louis came in behind her, carrying her school bag and looking straight at Elle, and only at Elle.

"Louis! I was wondering when I'd see you" said Lizzy as she stood up to greet him. He smiled absent mindedly.

"It's good to see you again Lizzy. Looks like you've got yourself in a little bit of trouble there?" he smiled.

"I'm secretly hoping it's a girl" Lizzy giggled, "And who's this young lady…"

Elle groaned.

"That's Elle," Louis said, his tone more serious, "She's been better…"

"It's nice to meet you Elle!" Lizzy's voice squeaked annoying Elle further into her mood, "I've heard so much about you…"

"Nothing good I presume…" said she in a low voice and she walked away to her room.

"Wow, Evan. You sure beat _her_ up!" Evan blushed, embarrassed.

"He's not supposed to even insult girls, Lizzy, let alone touch them," Louis explained, "Ignoring them is the worst thing one can ever do to you anyways, am I right?"

"Do you say that from experience?" the redhead asked, smiling at them both.

"What's wrong with her?" Lyla asked, though she wasn't too concerned.

"I'm not sure exactly," Louis replied, "But she'll be ok." He took the keys out of his pocket, put Elle's bag down and headed for the door.

"You're leaving again?!" Evan wailed, "You promised you'd come home tonight!"

"And I am coming home tonight, right after The Escape's inauguration. It opens tonight and I promised Marshall I'd be there." Louis explained, "But I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning, kid!"

Evan and Lyla stood bewildered as Louis left and Lizzy got a feeling like this wasn't the first time they saw him do it. After a few minutes, Evan took his guitar and walked away to his room. The door was slammed. Lizzy chuckled. "Yes, you're definitely raising teenagers…"

Lyla sat next to her friend and cradled her head in her hands. She was frustrated, "Elle is driving us crazy! It's been a mad house since she came here and Louis remains oblivious to all she's done!"

"What has she done?" Lizzy asked serious and concerned. Lyla was more than willing to give her an answer, but she was unable to think of one. Elle challenged her in the classroom, but she'd already told her friend that and Lizzy had disregarded it saying it was typical of teenagers to do that to new teachers. She'd also congratulated Lyla for having handled it so well. Then there was… actually what bothered her most was Elle's attitude towards her, but now that she'd seen how she acted around Lizzy having never met her, it wasn't all that different either. "Well?" Lizzy insisted.

"Well, Louis just spends all of his time with her and is neglecting Evan and me."

"Sounds like you're mad at Louis…" Lizzy drank her tea.

"Besides, her stay here is temporary…" Lyla added.

"Oh, Lyla what a snob!" her friend teased, "But seriously now, don't you think that would be hard on anyone? No wonder she's acting rude! I mean, if you're aimlessly traveling from place to place just because the state doesn't think you're old enough to care for yourself when you've probably been doing it all your life anyways… wouldn't it make you wonder if there was something wrong with you? I'd have a hard time understanding why nobody wants me. I already love my kid so much, you know? And all it's done is give me nausea, stretch marks and a smaller bladder! How can anyone just have a kid and leave it, just like that—no remorse—and never stop to wonder, whatever became of them?"

Lizzy didn't mean to make her feel guilty. She couldn't have rehearsed what she'd say if she didn't even know their situation. Even still, Lyla felt horrible—and then felt worse about having Elle cause all of this. She really tested them and turned things around to the point where Lyla didn't even know what would happen next. Barely making a sound, Elle came into the kitchen. This time her hair was in a messy braid and she wore only her socks. She walked passed them as if she was ghost and fidgeted with her backpack.

"Hi…" Lizzy said to her.

"Elle, please keep your bag in your room as does Evan, ok?" Lyla said.

"Louis left it here, not me…"

"Must you always talk back? Can't you—for once—just quietly do as you're told?" Lyla was annoyed.

"The Constitution assures my freedom of speech and I hear the Bible my free will…" Elle answered.

"And what of education, courtesy and manners? Won't you show anyone any respect? I'm your legal guardian…"

"Not by choice…" Elle interrupted to remind her. Lizzy realized their little banter was getting serious, but she was much more amused than worried.

"Elle, please. Just stop! Why are you being so aggressive?" Lyla asked angrily, "If you had been like any other girl, none of this would be happening and you would probably be much, much happier!"

"Had I been a good girl, like you, you mean? Cause you seem anything but happy! And by the way _Miss_ Novacek, respect is _earned_ not demanded!"

"Just calm down you two…" Lizzy finally said. Lyla sat back down next to her, while Elle stood.

"I haven't done anything!" Elle wailed, "Why does she insist on blaming me for everything that happens in this freaking apartment and between the members of _her_ family!"

"I'm done," Lyla sighed, "I am done with this Elle. I am tired and I have no reason to do this with you in my house. Just…"

"Go?" Elle asked, well aware this word would finish Lyla's sentence. Lyla didn't say anything.

"Yes," Evan who'd been eavesdropping from the hallway, revealed himself and said. "Stop being mean and go…"

"No, Evan. Elle. Kids, come on…" Lizzy tried to play peace maker.

Elle's eyes pooled regardless of how hard she tried not to. She had begun to break since this afternoon. "Know what Ev? You might be on to something. Maybe these voices inside my head will lead me down the yellow brick road back to Kansas, Toto. Maybe I should follow your great example and blindly do whatever they say, like 'you're not good enough Elle', or 'nobody wants you, Elle' or 'who cares, Elle', or better yet, 'run, Elle, run'…"

"Don't Elle, no!" Lyla called after her once she was out the door and down the staircase.

_**The sound of the door closing **_was met by heavy, angry footsteps walking her way. Ms. Lane threw her keys on the table, just before her sister came rushing in.

"Where were you, Andrea?" she asked angrily.

"Cool down, Dyl…"

"Where were you?" she yelled this time.

"Hey! Stop!" Ms. Lane said raising her voice as well. "I was working and you know that!"

"Working? Did I not specifically asked _you_ to pick up Hope from school and stay with her because _I_ had to go to the bar today and help get ready for the opening?"

"Is that tonight?" Ms. Lane said walking into the kitchen where Hope snacked on some rice crispy bars and milk, "And what time?"

"Two hours ago, though I had to be there at three. I asked permission at school and just as I was getting there I got called cause Hope had been forgotten!"

"I apologize, Hope. It won't happen again…" Ms. Lane said coolly.

"Oh, yes it will, Andrea. Yes it will," Ms. Snow said angrily, "And do you know why? Because, Andy, you are so conceited and self-absorbed you can't see any other problems or situations but your own! It has nothing to do with the fact that you've lived on your own this long—oh, no—it's the usual Andrea Lynn Lane! That is why that one boyfriend left you and why that kid killed herself. She rather die than give you her baby!"

"Shut up that's not true!" Andrea yelled.

"Yes it is, and you know it! You know why we barely get along, because of all this dust under our carpet, because we keep storing skeletons in our closets and we never speak. You might be the genius in the family, but so was mom and you know exactly how _that_ ended!"

Ms. Lane slapped her sister silent. Hope didn't dare to move.

"You are just like her Andrea…" Dylan's voice broke, "And that's how you'll end up, too…"

Hope held her breath and watched as the sisters left in opposite directions, Andrea to her room and Dylan out the door. The slams came simultaneously and Hope thought they made the earth move. Then, when she found herself sitting alone in the kitchen, Hope cried.

_**Louis couldn't help but smile.**_ What a turn out! The Escape was full to capacity and Louis saw a couple of reporters around. He tried to see who that celebrity Dylan was going to bring was, but he barely caught hold of her behind that white mink coat and the ridiculously big, dark sunglasses. Marshall stood by her when Louis came in, talking to some reporters about it.

"I thought you wouldn't make it!" Marshall yelled over the music, "We're on in five, but until then can you help out in the bar? Dylan isn't here yet?"

"Yeah…" Louis said and quickly got to working. The place was crowded and the pub really came together. Louis had never felt such pride in his older brother. Marshall was finally growing and finishing what he started.

"Hey, Louis!" Dylan yelled as she pushed herself through the crowd, "You're on…"

Everything reminded him of his forgotten youth that night. The feel of the strap around his neck and the pull of the weight of his guitar brought him back to the place where he felt most like himself and he didn't want to lose it. The familiar feedback and the roar of the crowd… it was all pure adrenaline. And for the first time in a long time, with the first strum, Louis realized, he needed this. The Connelly Brothers did one cover song unsure of the crowd's response to having them back. It was marvelous and their original songs finally came through. The smell of sweat and alcohol played with his memories as the exertion of the exercise set him on fire. He wouldn't have stopped if it hadn't been for Elle. The girl came into the place as the band sang their last piece. With the sudden change in the beating of his heart Louis knew he wasn't that kid anymore and though he didn't want to leave the stage, he felt the strongest paternal urge to protect her for it seemed as if danger was really that much closer.


	9. Chapter 9: To the Beat of their own

**Chapter 9: "To the beat of their own puppeteer"**

_**Her head spun and she couldn't find a reason for it.**_ Then she remembered. She waited up for him unsure of whether he would keep his promise to Evan or break it again upon discovering Elle was missing. Lyla wanted to talk to him, but Louis took her in his arms and she was rendered speechless. After the first kiss, came another and another and before she knew it she was exactly where she wanted to be. Now she remembered. The pressing desire she had for him caused her to forget everything, even who she was. For the first time, in a long time, Lyla was just Lyla and incandescently happy.

Louis came into the room, wearing his black long sleeve shirt and a satisfied grin. He locked the door behind him and dragged a chair. He wasn't going anywhere. Louis wanted to be there as he was, sitting before her, bare feet on the bed, simply watching her. All she wanted him to do was stare at her. Then Lyla actually felt herself feel anxious, worried, angry, frustrated and she realized for the first time, she was allowing these feelings to transform her into a monster. The stress over Evan and even Elle started to change her mood. If this was the case then Louis had but enough reasons to have left, and Evan was as much culprit of her transformation as was Elle.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked in a low voice.

"Evan," she said sitting up and covering herself with the sheets, "And Elle… she's…"

"With Marshall, Evan's at school and you—well, I called you in sick," again his smile discovered his satisfaction.

"You planned this?" she asked feeling less tense.

"No. I just went with it." Louis crossed his legs on the bed, "Besides, it seems to me like you really needed to unwind. Do you know what time it is? Evan will be home in less than two hours!"

Lyla scoffed, "I slept how much?"

"I believe that last night's activities had a lot to do with it, but you were very tired. Even _I_ couldn't have slept for so long!" he chuckled.

"Are we ok?" she said with a smile, "I didn't mean to…"

"Hey, I get it and I'm sorry. I can understand how Elle's presence can be overwhelming, but she stops being so scary once you see her as a kid. She _is_ a kid…"

"It's just so easy to forget with her," Lyla said, "At least we _know_ Evan needs us…"

"Does he?" Louis said, "I'm beginning to thing Evan needs us less, because he's ours. Somehow, he is extraordinary. He didn't have anything to forgive…"

"He always knew we wanted him…" Lyla finished his sentence. She looked at him and began to feel herself return.

"Care to share your thoughts?" Louis chuckled and Lyla realized he'd been watching her think.

"I screwed up, didn't I?" she asked taking a hand to her face, "I just… I want to protect him and take care of him and I don't want to lose you and I'm doing the best I can, but Elle's just so difficult!"

"No wonder you're tired!" he scoffed, "Don't you think you're overthinking? I mean, aren't we lucky that we started this parenting thing when the kids can actually tell you what they want?"

"And why's that?" Lyla smiled amused at his musings.

"Well a baby just cries and babbles… Evan sulks. Elle acts out. But when you talk to either one of them, and I mean really talk, they tell you exactly how they feel and what you can do to help them, even if it's not direct. That's how I began to know Evan a little better when he came to California with me last year. He wanted to show you what he'd see, I got him a camera. When he drooled in front of that guitar, I got him it…"

"That's buying his affection Louis…"

"Then I'd say we have the whole raising teenagers down, don't you think?" They laughed. "Lyla, I think you're so scared of screwing up you rather have a 'by-the-book answer' and there isn't any" Louis sat in bed next to her this time.

"Thank you for making me feel stupid," Lyla teased, "No really, thanks… I guess I'll just have to be more…"

"More of the Lyla Novacek I love so much?" he kissed her and she somehow didn't expect him to. "Stop overthinking…"

"Ok. But you're going to have to help me with that…" she said wrapping her hands around his neck and kissing him like she didn't even remember having done so before.

**~0~**

"_**What are you doing?"**_ Marshall asked Elle whom he found snooping around his apartment. He didn't like babysitting his _real_ nephew and now he had to put up with more of Louis's problems.

"Are you and Ms. Snow…?" Elle asked with a cynical smile.

"Dylan? No. She stayed here last night because of you…" he said, "I wouldn't want people or Louis to think I was doing anything… indecent…"

"Like you're doing to her?" Elle smiled, "C'mon. I saw her stuff. Plus, we took that test sitting right at the table two weeks ago. Nice to see I got an A…"

"I can finally agree with Lyla on something: I don't like you…" Marshall said opening a beer.

"Well, _Marshall_, _I_ like _you_…" she said opening one of his drawers, "The Rolling Stones? Queen? Aerosmith? Nirvana? The Beatles! You rock!"

"You know them? Are you not a Belieber?" he teased before taking a sip.

Elle chuckled, "Are you?" Marshall laughed and watched the girl look through his albums before picking something to listen to on an old stereo. "So you know what a Belieber is, but you still keep compact disks, tapes and vinyl?"

Michael Jackson's "Bad" started to play. Marshall groaned as it was his dirty little secret to like MJ at all. Elle took advantage of his reaction to sing aloud and dance to it. At first, it was all very quirky and more fun than Marshall would have expected to have with a teenage girl who posed as his niece, but later he realized the girl could sing.

"You've got some pipes on ya…" he said once the song was over, "Where'd you learn to sing like that?"

"I was born pitch perfect…" she said taking a bow.

"Put your money where your mouth is?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well almost anyone can sing well with a radio and music and auto-tune… I want to know what you sound like live." He opened the door that led downstairs to the bar.

"What _now_?" Elle asked surprised.

"Yes. If you suck, Louis will have to find someone else to babysit you. If you don't then I'll do it for free…"

"So, you're secretly hoping I suck?" she asked, pretty much amused at her pretend uncle.

"Your words, not mine…"

**~0~**

_**The bell would ring soon**_. It was either now or never. Ms. Lane rationalized why it was so hard for her to apologize to her younger sister. Sure, she was usually wrong and this time her insults had actually hurt, but besides Dylan, Lane didn't have anyone else. She didn't want to see Hope right now, though maybe she had to apologize to the girl too. "_One step at a time_…" she thought to herself and walked down the hall to her sister's classroom. Her steps resonated as she remembered her teenage self, walking down the hallways. Lockers side by side, people staring as her long blonde hair bounced off her shoulders. As much as she'd hated to admit it now, Andrea Lane was the original mean girl. It was probably hard to believe it now (and for her it really was) but she was also voted most beautiful, best smile, best eyes and prom queen all through-out high school and with barely any friends. Her popularity was unfairly given as she only had one friend in the world and that was Janine, Mr. Jeffrie's wife. Richard probably never knew this, but his wife was the only stability while she was growing up. Ms. Lane missed her just as much as he, or maybe even more. Hope reminded her of Janine, but she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"What are you doing here?" Dylan waited for her by her classroom door.

"How'd you know I was here?" Andrea asked.

"Are you kidding me?" she smiled, "Those are the same intimidating, scary steps from high school!"

Ms. Lane looked at Dylan and smiled. She'd blossom after graduation and even today Ms. Lane had trouble picturing the grown-up version of her sister, and not the four eyes, braided art geek, who struggled to get B's. "Can we talk?"

"Come on in…"

Once inside the classroom Ms. Lane closed the door behind them. Dylan sat on her desk and bit on a golden apple.

"An apple? That's unusual?"

"You came here to talk about my diet?" Ms. Snow asked.

"You know why I'm here Dyl…" Ms. Lane said.

"I can think of three reasons," she smiled wickedly taking her sunglasses off her head, "One: your visit is Hope related, but that's highly unlikely. I presume it would have something to do with Elle, but you know she's suspended and is alright with the Connelly. Finally, you could be here to apologize, but that's even more farfetched than coming to talk about Hope!"

"I guess I deserved that…"

"You're an arrogant jerk, Andrea… but I forgive you." Ms. Snow said offering half of her apple.

Ms. Lane took the apple, "Thank you. And I guess, I forgive you too." The sisters remained silence for a while. Andrea was really no good at this, and Dylan was amused to see her try. "Am I really turning into mother?"

Dylan was taken aback by her sister's reaction. Andrea sobbed. Quickly, Dylan stood up next to her sister and put her hand around her shoulders, "Andy, no. I'm sorry. I've always been a little jealous of your massive brain, but you're not mom. You're better than her. In fact, you could be even better than that if you just let people in."

"It's not very easy for me…" she said.

"I know," said Dylan, "And it's about to get harder…"

"What do you mean?" Ms. Lane became worried.

"Well, thanks to Evan and Elle's little quarrel Mrs. Burns quit and I've been offered her position as art teacher. I start next semester when Mrs. Stevens returns from her leave."

"But that's not bad news!"

"There's more: I'm not going to live with you anymore…"

"How come?"

"I've found a little apartment and I'm moving there. Besides, sleeping on that couch is messing with my body and brain. I need my own bed…"

"We'll get a bigger apartment!"

"And then you'll want a smaller one after Hope is gone. You weren't planning on staying here forever, were you? No, Andrea. It's better this way. Besides there are some pretty decent places not too far from here. Don't forget, I'll also be in charge of the choir club I started with Hope. We'll probably have a better relationship, too! Definitely healthier!"

"If you say so," Andrea said just before hugging her baby sister.

"I'll be ok, Andy. It's not like we're not going to see each other anymore…" Dylan said.

"I should hope not…"

Ms. Lane's mobile phone started to ring and son after it the school bell. Dylan watched as her sister composed herself and promised to 'be there soon'.

"Take Hope with you, please? I got something to do…"

"Oh, no, Ms. Lane! _You_ take Hope. _You're_ her guardian for God's sakes!" Ms. Snow wailed, "Besides I have an interview with the school Council about my new job. I'm so nervous I could hurl!"

"Fine!" Ms. Lane said, "But I'll have to save this piece of Apple, cause I've no time to stop to eat!"

Ms. Snow chuckled as she watched her sister hurry out, "Good luck with starving your kid, Andy…"

**~0~**

_**Evan was thrilled**_ to find both of his parents waiting for him outside the school! It made detention worth it. If only Arthur could see him now! Elle was not with them, so he guessed she'd been removed. He'd have to wait until tomorrow to tell Arthur the news. Finally, everything was going back to the way it should be.

"So?" Louis asked him with a big smile, "Where would you like to eat?"

"Anywhere!" he said excitedly.

"Good, but let's hurry up before Headmaster Braverman gives _me_ detention for playing hookie!" Lyla said, "What did you do last period?"

"Nothing," Evan said as they got in the car, "Independent study. We were allowed to be in the library. Class has been exceptionally quiet without Elle."

"Elle!" Louis ignited the car, "I can't believe I forgot about her! She's been with Marshall all day…"

"If _that_ doesn't make matters worse, I don't know…" Lyla scoffed.

"Is she coming with us?" Evan asked.

Lyla and Louis looked at one another. They hadn't talked about the relationship between Evan and Elle. They'd only discussed their own. Louis shrugged his shoulders letting her choose, for once, whether the girl should accompany them or not. Lyla sighed, "I guess it's only fair. Maybe a whole day with Marshall has been punishment enough…"

Louis chuckled and Evan sulked. He was disappointed. There was no reason for Elle to butt in his celebration of his parents' reconciliation, but apparently he didn't have a choice. All throughout the car ride to his Uncle Marshall's place Evan was convinced his father was a traitor and maybe turning his mother into one too! Why should Elle get all the attention when it was her fault they were always arguing? Evan couldn't understand it, and a different sort of tune was swirling in his head. No strings mostly percussions would make up this new composition! Maybe an organ, like the one in Reverend James's church, no vocals and maybe a clarinet or two to…

"Evan?"

His father's voice woke him from his thoughts. They made it to The Escape, which was surely opening shortly. He followed them. A strange kind of melody came from inside. Evan wasn't very sure he liked it, but he listened out for it anyways. Rock. He'd heard it once or twice always blowing in Uncle Marshall's speakers. His father's band played a little of it, but it been so long since he heard them play, Evan couldn't be held accountable for not remembering! Uncle Marshall played guitar and some other guy played the drums for the tune Elle was singing. They were being encouraged by a woman Evan had never seen before. When the song was finally over, Marshall turned his guitar and hugged Elle.

"Did you know you had a certified gold kinda talent here?" Marshall shouted out to Louis, "She's amazing!"

"I thought so…" Louis said, "But I actually thought I'd have to rescue her!"

"What?" Marshall said getting down, "No way man. She can stay here…"

"Really?" Lyla asked annoyed at Marshall; Yet another Connelly completely in love with Elle.

Elle squealed happily, "I can stay here with him and Ms. Snow until Ms. Lane finds a better place for me, I guess. It'll make some of the people in this room very happy…"

"Ms. Snow? Dylan doesn't live here! How many times do I have to tell you…" Marshall said almost spitting out his beer.

"Whatever," Elle rolled her eyes, "So can I, mommy dearest?"

Again, Lyla composed herself. She'd have to really make an effort in order to see Elle as the vulnerable child everyone saw… or was she the only person seeing clearer? "Elle, you have to stay with us. But since I'm working and Louis is too, you can stay here while we work, if it's alright with Marshall".

Uncle Marshall never babysat _him_! Evan noticed.

"I work from home, so it's not really a problem…" Louis said.

_He_ was never allowed to stay home with his dad either, Evan remembered.

"Look, I'm looking out for my welfare here!" Elle said in her usual know-it-all tone, "I'll be out of your hair soon and if I start working with the band _now_, I can work here as a singer when I turn 18…that's only four years and a couple of months away. Right Marshall?"

"In a heartbeat!" He replied.

"What about college?" Louis asked remembering the conversation Elle had with Ms. Snow.

"Well, she can do as I do: work nightshifts and during the weekends." Said the woman.

"That's Brenda. She's a bartender here…" Louis introduced her to Lyla and Evan.

"I go to NYU…" she smiled, "I'd bet they'd be glad to have you there too, Elle."

"We'll see. I have a placement problem at the moment…"

"Do you guys want pizza?" asked the drummer, "We've got more than plenty."

"Yeah, go ahead…" Marshall insisted, "This one's eaten five slices already…"

"I've not!" Elle wailed.

Marshall never teased _him_ either, Evan thought. And though he really wanted to go somewhere else, his parents ate some pizza so he had no choice but to follow their lead. Two slices and a cup of coke into their dinner and Lyla remembered she had to go to Juilliard and inform the Dean that Evan wouldn't attend this week because of detention. This time Evan didn't mind Elle coming along. If the Dean needed a good reason for his absence, he would give her it in person!

**~0~**

"_**Ye—why hello there Hope!**_ How are you, today?" Mr. Jeffries opened his door and was surprised to find Andrea and Hope behind it.

"I'm good, thanks for asking. How are you?" Hope smiled.

"I'm good too, thanks…" he looked at Ms. Lane for an explanation.

"May we come in?" she said and Richard knew that tone very well. There was trouble.

"Sure," Richard held the door and helped them out of their coats. "Is that take out, Hope?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "Ms. Lane bought it for me?"

"Do I smell McDonald's?" Arthur showed up and Hope laughed at his mismatched socks.

"There's something in there for you too…" Ms. Lane said hanging her scarf with her coat.

"He just ate…" Mr. Jeffries said.

"So?" Ms. Lane asked, "He's a teenage boy, Richard! It would be surprising if he wasn't hungry. Besides, I couldn't just show up here, Hope with her bag, and have Arthur stare at her eating."

"I fail to see how that's good logic…" Mr. Jeffries mumbled.

"Could I get scolded later?" she asked Jeffries before turning back to the kids, "Why don't you two lovelies go into the living room and eat there? There has to be something good on!"

"We don't want to hear what you have to say anyways…" Arthur said eating a fry and leading Hope to the living room.

"What's up Andrea? You come to my house, feed my kid and give out orders. Something has to be up!" Mr. Jeffries asked following her into the kitchen.

"I am frantic!" she wailed, "Dylan bailed on me in the most inconvenient moment!"

"Dylan bailed? Wait a minute—am I supposed to be surprised?"

"Not her usual bail. She got a job as an art teacher at the kids' school. She's moving out and can't take care of Hope and I desperately need to work! I can't take care of her!"

"You do realize you're telling this to your case worker?" Richard found her hysteria amusing.

Ms. Lane sat down at his table and sulked. "I no longer have a case. Elle will return to Over the Rainbow within a month…"

"What?" Mr. Jeffries sat next to him, "She may have legal guardians, but what about all the dark wholes and puddles in her case?"

"They're overlooked!" Ms. Lane looked straight at him, "Richard, we're being puppeteer-ed. Someone is _pupeteering_ us! Whoever is behind this case is either very important or very wealthy or has a dirty little secret on someone important, wealthy or both. I bet this has Margene Boyer written all over!"

"Ms. Boyer?" he asked, "How? Why?"

"Why? I don't know. How? I don't know either, but did you know her mother is Over the Rainbow's owner? Legal owner?"

"No. But how is that relevant?"

"Do you know who her mother is?" Ms. Lane asked him and he shrugged, "It's Mrs. Goldman."

At first Mr. Jeffries seemed to be having trouble remembering just who Mrs. Goldman was. Then he remembered and by his reaction, Ms. Lane could tell he was just as surprised as she was when she found out.

"How is that possible? She barely knows what she's doing?"

"Exactly! Do you understand now? There is something fishy about all this and I don't know how related it is to Elle, but I just have to find out!" Ms. Lane said, "I can't do anything with Hope around though. She's like a shadow… talking incessantly about idiotic things. She's a girly-girl and she's driving me nuts and we've only been together for four hours… four long, straight, hours Richard…"

Mr. Jeffries smiled. It was refreshing to see her struggle with something so mundane. Although he tried to help it, he had to laugh. He knew how much it annoyed her, but it was beyond his control. He laughed like he had long forgotten to do so.

"Why are you laughing?!" she demanded to know.

"I thought I'd never see the day! Oh, how the mighty have fallen!" he teased.

"You too?" she asked remembering her sister's remarks.

"Seriously now," he said with a smile, "I can't believe you're struggling with motherhood… or as guardian to Hope. How much trouble can she really be? She's a sweet, well-mannered girl… I bet you're being dramatic…"

"Maybe. One thing's for sure, I'm not as maternal as I thought I was, so let's just drop it," she said looking away, "I do need one more favor from you though…"

"I can't baby sit her either, Andy. If it wasn't for all the extracurricular activities, I would have to find someone to babysit Arthur. We got a couple of hard cases and I know, I'm going to be asked to take on some of them…"

"It's not that! Let me talk, will ya?" she said, though she was going to ask him to take care of Hope, "Your idiot boss is in on it and asked me if we could talk. I've avoided him today, but I can avoid him no longer. My contract with Child Services is up. No Elle, no contract which means no access to some of the information I'm going to need…"

"Oh, no, Andrea…" Mr. Jeffries interrupted, "I know where you're going with this and the answers is no!"

"But, Rich!"

"No buts Andy! If someone should know or catch me sharing confidential information with you, I'd be fired—heck! I could go to jail. So, no. Sorry, but I pass…"

"Ugh!" Ms. Lane stood up frustrated.

"I'm sorry…" he repeated.

"Ok, what if—"

"Andrea…"

"Just, listen ok? What if I asked _you_ to do it. I'd tell you what I need and you tell me if it's possible. If you find the information you memorize it and comment about it while we're having coffee. What's a chat between friends and colleagues?"

"I hope you feel the same way after I'm incarcerated…"

"So will you do it?" she asked sitting back down.

Richard looked at her. On occasions like today, where she was so close to him, he couldn't help but remember their kiss. He might have wanted to repeat the impulse, but he knew her too well to do so. Also, he couldn't do it with a picture of Mira and Janine staring at them.

"I might be interested, but you'd have to do something for me?"

"Anything!"

"Anything?"

"What? What is it?" Ms. Lane was worried.

"Since this is a high risk operative I'll need to sacrifice a few extra hours after work—you know, to make sure everyone is gone?"

"It's called overtime and you'll get paid for it…"

"Probably, but you and I both know it won't be overtime! Is your blood so cold? Could you sleep at night knowing that I'm in jail and Arthur is back on the streets?"

"There are meds for that, but go on."

"You'll have to mom…"

"To what?" she asked.

"Did you think Arthur's extracurricular activities involved boarding and feedings?" he smiled at her.

"You can't blame _me_, I mean, the kid's always hungry!"

"Don't derail…" he continued, "You pick him up from school and stay with him here while I get back and report to you. You'll have to make sure they do homework and study for tests and… don't just feed them fast foods please."

"You want a scullery maid? In this day and age? And _me_?!" Ms. Lane scoffed, "You forget that I led the activist movement against gender discrimination and traditional gender roles when I was president of my sorority!"

"I didn't forget cause I was in that march, with you and Janine. Besides, gender equality simply stated that women are more than capable of taking on traditionally male roles as well as their own. Or was I unaware you were trying to veto motherhood from the list? If so, you have a bigger problem than I thought."

"It can only be a bore to be a housewife. How I detest that word!"

"Well we're not married, so out of sight out of mind. Do we have a deal?" Mr. Jeffries offered his hand, but Ms. Lane didn't shake it. "Come on Andrea, you know you want to. Your curiosity and obsession to tie lose ends is stronger than your dislike of the term housewife. And I already explained it to you, you're not…"

"Alright fine! I'll shake on it," she said taking his hand, "But why do you keep talking in plural?"

"Hope?"

"Right. Let's pretend I didn't forget…"

"You wouldn't be the Andrea Lane I know if you didn't accept a challenge…" Mr. Jeffries smiled, happy to be spending more time with her.

**~0~**

_**While Lyla talked to the Dean**_, Louis asked Evan to show him around campus. It was big, but luckily what Evan wanted to show him wasn't very far. Louis felt guilty throughout the tour. He'd neglected his son even before Elle's arrival. Evan's enthusiasm as he showed him everything and even introduced him to a couple of teachers and classmates made it clear that his son really was extraordinary. Louis made a mental note to accompany him more often as it was obvious how happy his being there made him. By the time they returned, Lyla and the Dean came from the office. Pleasantries had to be paid, since Louis hadn't seen her since the concert at the Great Lawn two years ago. She had nothing but praises for Evan and he was both beaming and embarrassed at such encouraging words. He was truly a unique student in the whole campus.

"Where's Elle?" Lyla asked as the Dean shook Louis's hand to leave.

"She was right here…" Louis said trying to sound casual about the missing child.

"Is everything alright?" The Dean asked concerned.

"We brought a visitor with us who seems to be missing now…" Lyla said looking angrily at Louis.

"Oh, my!" she said, "Should I assume we're talking about a child?"

"A girl…" Evan said.

"I'll call security and see if she's still in the premises…"

Louis took out his mobile phone, "Marshall, is Elle up there with you?"

"Just how much time did you leave her?" Lyla asked Louis furiously.

"We were only gone a bit…" Evan answered softly.

"_Nah, man. But you have to come here NOW. Louie, we have an emergency…"_

"I can't right now Marshall, Elle's gone missing…" Louis said.

"_Sort it and then come here! You have to come here ASAP!"_

"I'll see what I can…"

Suddenly Elle appeared running through the pristine hallways of Juilliard, straight towards them. She had no plans of stopping, but Louis stopped her either way.

"YOU!" A woman dressed in a tunic, with dark long hair walked their way followed by a hand full of people, Evan had never seen before. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Is something wrong?" the Dean asked as Elle was speechless.

"I didn't mean to…" Elle finally said just above a whisper.

Evan rolled his eyes, "That's why I got detention."

"Mrs. Palomino, what is going on?"

"I apologize for my conduct Dean, but my class was in session when _she_ joined in," Ms. Palomino said in a softer tone, "She has extraordinary talent and I wanted to know if she was a student in our Pre-College Voice Program?"

"Oh?" the Dean smiled and looked at Elle, who was astounded (mouth open and all). "Is this young girl a vocalist Ms. Novacek?"

"I, um—I guess?" Lyla was unsure. She looked at Elle. Her blonde long curls looked dirty and untamed, as usual. She still wore yesterday's school uniform with chunky knee high boots that were prohibited by the Acadmy's dress code, and the uniform's tie held up her pony tail. Luckily she wasn't chewing gum today and her lip gloss was minimal. Lyla hated to admit that Elle looked as much a mess as she was.

"Guess?" a male student asked taking his hand to his hip as if indignant, "Well, aren't you her mother? She's got talent. She's a diamond in the rough and I'd be more than happy to share class with her. What youth program? With her talent? She's probably at our level already!"

The rest of the students seemed to agree. The Dean looked to and fro trying to figure out what to do. Then she turned to look at Elle, who had once again turned silent. "Would you be interested in auditioning for us then, miss?"

"No!" Evan finally shouted. His voice echoed in the long corridor and everyone stared at him surprised. The Dean looked at his parent's but Louis and Lyla didn't know what to say.

"Evan, this could be very good for…"

"No!" he yelled again, putting up a wall Louis hadn't seen before. "She's not taking anything more from me. Juilliard is _mine_! I'm your kid! Me! August! Evan! Not _her_!"

"So conceited of you, _August_, to think I want your life. I don't. I don't want to go here and I don't want to be _you_!" Elle yelled back.

"Oh yes you do!" Evan stood right in front of Elle and looked straight into her deep blue eyes. They were intimidating, but he didn't back down. "You want my parents!"

"Not a little bit as much as you want my valor!" She looked straight at him too and surely enough was intimidated by what she read in his eyes.

"Guys, please…" Lyla put a hand on each of the kid's shoulders. "I think maybe we should go, Dean."

"Oh…" the Dean said.

"We apologize…" she said walking away.

"Will you at least think about it? Discuss it as a family?" Mrs. Palomino asked, stopping them. Evan was annoyed.

"What family?" Elle said, "They're not my family…" An uncomfortable silence fell upon them.

"Here," Ethan, the student from before, walked over to Elle and talked to her while writing something on her hand, "This is my phone number. You call me if there's anything I can do for you. I am sure we'll be the best of friends. Besides, I'd love to take you under my wing!"

Louis and Lyla stared, but for the first time ever, Elle didn't seem to notice what was going on around her. Evan was extremely upset with them. Finally they were out of there! In fact he was tired of her. He didn't want her in his house, with his family, or even at school around his friends. He was done with the whole situation and made a note to tell Ms. Lane himself. Enough was enough. Besides his parent's had enough trouble in their hands with _her_ for _him_ to become one too.

"That's the third time he calls…" Lyla said and her voice woke both children from their thoughts, "Is something wrong?" she asked Louis.

"I don't know. He said I needed to go there now because there was some kind of emergency, but who knows what Marshall wants?" Louis explained.

Out the window the scenery changed from tall buildings, to trees and then back to a few buildings and houses. Finally they made it to The Escape. Evan wondered if they were early or if Marshall didn't plan to open today. Elle followed Louis and Lyla in and then came Evan; he didn't really want to be there. He wanted to go home.

"What's up Marshall?" Louis called when he came in.

"Louis?" asked a woman.

Lyla looked at him, but he didn't seem to know who she was either. Evan and Elle stood by the door watching.

"Louie!" Marshall called back, but he was serious. He came from upstairs with a cordless telephone. He smiled nervously when he passed by the woman and put his hand on his brother's shoulders as to whisper something in his ear.

"No, Marshall…" the woman said with a sob, "Let _me_ tell him…"

"Tell me what?" Louis asked. Marshall looked furiously at the lady and then back at his brother, "This woman thinks she's…"

"I don't _think_ anything, Marshall, I _know_ I'm your mother," she then turned to look at Louis and with her voice breaking she said: "I _am_ your mother…"


	10. Chapter 10: Bits and Pieces

**Chapter 10: "Bits and Pieces"**

"_**What?" Louis chuckled unable to process what he had just heard.**_

"I told you we had an emergency. This woman's crazy!" Marshall said in his explosive tone.

"You're offending me," the woman said. "Why would I come here and introduce myself as your mother if it wasn't true?"

"Lady, our mum is dead…" Louis explained.

Marshall threw the phone on the bar and walked around. Louis stood in the same spot he'd been for the last few minutes carefully observing the woman. She didn't look old enough to be their mother though the wrinkles around her gray eyes gave her age away. Her eyes where gray as a rainy day, just like Marshall reminded Louis a few months back. She dressed elegantly; time had been good to her. Her black hair was just starting to gray. The more Louis looked at her, the less convinced he was of her story though there was an undeniable energy between the three of them.

"Are those your children, Louis?" she asked with a smile. "I should have imagined you two to have family by now…"

"Listen lady, you gotta go…" Marshall finally said, "I won't call the police, but you gotta get outta here. I've already lost a day's work because of you."

"Am I that big a threat that you thought to call the police?" she said indignant, "Well, I've already told you. I won't leave until I talk to you two…"

"Lady!" Marshall raised his voice, "Our mother is dead! We buried her a thousand miles away and a hundred feet underground!"

"You buried an empty coffin because _I_ wasn't in there, even if I thought I should have been in all these years!" finally she started crying.

"Listen lady, it's late and we're tired and clearly you're not well. How about we call you a cab?" Louis said picking up the phone Marshall threw.

The lady looked up and took his hand. Electricity shot through him and out of all the ways he could connect with a person, Louis had never felt that way before. "You always were so sweet, not that Marshall wasn't, but he's explosive. Like your father… is he?"

"He's dead too!" Marshall said, "Call her the cab Louie…"

"Your wife seems lovely. I'd love to meet her and the kids…" the woman said to Louis. He couldn't help but stare at her and feel like there was something whispering in his ear, only he couldn't quite make out what it was.

"I…the—they have school… tomorrow…"

"Oh for goodness sake!" Marshall took the phone from his brother's hand and called the taxi. Then he turned to his younger brother, "What? Having a nice chat? You've got enough problems of your own to take on _this_ one! Let _her_ family deal with her…"

"I'll just keep coming back until you hear me out…" The woman said as she walked out.

Louis looked at his brother who had gotten busy serving them each a glass of scotch.

_**They were all silent.**_ They couldn't hear what was going on down at the bar and it made Lyla nervous. How were Louis and Marshall reacting to the woman downstairs? Evan sat next to her at the only table in the room, while Elle stood, contemplating her written hand, next to an old jukebox. Then Lyla's interest shifted. What were these two thinking about? By the time she resolved to say something to him, Evan cradled his head in his arms, asleep. Lyla ran a hand through his hair. Moments like this reminded her of the years they'd lost forever. Maybe that's why she desperately wanted to hold on to him. She could not allow a single moment to be taken for granted! But by now, Lyla was ready to admit that wasn't very good for him either_._

"How is Evan at school?" Lyla's question startled Elle who had been writing the number down on a piece of paper. "What is wrong with you? It's just a number…" Lyla smiled, "And the guy's gay."

Elle wasn't paying attention. She seemed frustrated while looking into her palm. "I just don't see it…" she whispered to herself.

"Don't see what?" Lyla asked after silence set in.

"The girl everyone else sees…"

Lyla stared at Elle thinking this was just another one of her tricks. It actually took her a couple of minutes to realize it weren't. It was genuinely a 14-year-old's question: Elle thinking out loud. Surprisingly as it was to Lyla that she could recognize this new girl, was the fact that she didn't know how to approach her. She would have said something to Elle had it not been for Louis's and Marshall's entrance.

"We can go now…" Louis announced.

"Evan, wake up…" Lyla called their son, postponing her questions for later.

"What happened?" Elle wasn't as considerate as Lyla.

"Nothing. Can we just go?" Louis replied before turning to speak to Marshall, "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeah…" Marshall said.

The Connelly brothers were exceptionally off tonight after the woman's visit. Lyla dragged Evan along with them and debated what to do about Louis. Just when things seemed to be working out, her anxiety and stress returned to her and Lyla was afraid this time they wouldn't leave. The uncomfortable silence on the way to their apartment accompanied them inside as Louis and Lyla sent the kids to their rooms before locking themselves in theirs to discuss what happened. With the excuse of being thirsty Elle opened her door to discover Evan at the end of the hallway standing by his parent's door. He was startled by the creaking of the door and scared to have been discovered. Elle decided she wasn't going to say anything, but instead let _him_ come to _her._ She smiled at him and continued her way to the kitchen. There, before she could even pour water on her glass, Evan appeared.

"I was going in…" he said.

Elle could have said something, but she figured ignoring him would annoy the most.

"I mean it!" he insisted, "Besides, they're _my_ parents so it wouldn't matter if _I_ heard. I'm trying to help."

"Help?" Elle turned to look at him, "How? You can't even help yourself!"

"Well…" Evan thought about it, "I know how it feels to have people tell you your mother is dead and then discovering she isn't. Maybe I can help him…"

Elle chuckled, "Evan, you can't be so naïve as to think what happened to you is the norm? You are the exception. You're the .01% in the 99.99% probability of the way you discovered your parents and the outcome not ever repeating itself ever again!"

"How do you know?" he asked angrily.

"Because of Arthur and Hope and a million other people!" she explained, "Have you any idea how many girls who know their parents and insist they are loved are abandoned every year at Over the Rainbow? If every parent wanted and loved their child there'd be no one to adopt."

"What makes you think you're the expert?" Evan argued, "There are good people out there. Like Mr. Jeffries and Reverend J… My mom and dad were good enough to take you in. What's to say there's no love in the world?"

"As romantic as you sound, you're totally mixing two things up." She scoffed, "And you neglected to include Ms. Lane and her sister? Or is good in the eye of the beholder? Seriously, like, do you hear yourself?"

"And lots of other stuff…"

"Right," Elle rolled her eyes. She was sick of Evan. "You know how you can hear a load of mumbo jumbo and that makes you a musical prodigy and you found your parents and possibly the cure for a couple of terminal illnesses? Well, _I_ have a special talent too! I can see _through_ people…"

"You don't do it very well. You've been really mean to most everyone who's tried to help you! Maybe it is _you_ who can't help herself."

"My cross to bear, but everyone deals with their stuff as best as they can. The world is not Candyland, Evan…"

"I don't think it's terrible if you want me to believe that. If you think it's so bad, I don't care, but why drag the rest of us down with you?"

"Good and evil aren't just one sided you know! Besides, is this even your battle to fight Evan? I've never so much as said a word to you before. Heck! This is the first conversation we've ever had! Where's this passive-aggression coming from? Do you think I am here to steal your parents? Cause if that's the case you're an idiot."

"I am not an idiot! You may have had bad experiences, but I've had a good experience and I think my dad would be happy to get to know his mom as I've done with mine…"

"Cause it's exactly the same!" Elle scoffed and laughed at him. "Louis isn't a kid. The woman _just_ came forth. Isn't his reaction more natural? I mean, why now? It's not like he needs a mother anymore…"

"Everyone needs a mother." Evan said softly, "What happened to yours?"

"That's none of your business…"

Elle abruptly stood from the table and Evan impulsively mimicked her reaction. There they stood looking straight at each other's blue eyes. They didn't like one another, but it was somewhat acknowledged they were two of the same. Finally, Elle moved and walked back to the den she was staying at. Evan followed her but instead took a turn to his room. He lay in bed watching the stars shine through his window as his eyelids got heavier. In his mind, Evan played Elle's reaction like a confusing sound he had to add to his melody. Then an idea came into his mind: could Elle's mother be alive? Better yet, did she know who she is—where she is? He looked sheepishly at the full moon and smiled realized he was hearing something. Evan could finally hear the moon again.

_**Marshall played the scene over and over again**_. He remembered there were two slices of pizza left and he was about to throw them out when the lady walked in. She enquired after him and the guys signaled to him. The fact that she asked about Louis was appalling. The lady explained how she had seen a small note on the news about the party last night where Darling Diamond and a couple of her friend celebrities made a guest appearance. The name Connelly had clicked in her and she searched the web for more information about The Escape. Finally, she saw his picture and that's how she knew: he was her son.

"Marshall!" Elle shouted for the third time. "Where are you today? We've got company."

Marshall looked up distracted and found Elle standing next to a guy in a suit. He hated suits. He thought people in suits and briefcases and sunglasses indoors only brought trouble. Then again he looked at the blonde girl in jeans and thought to revise his theory on trouble.

"Are you Marshall Connelly?" the man asked and it felt like deja-vu.

"Yeah, sorry man." He said shaking his hand.

"I'm Elliot Rivers. I'm Nick Agostino's representative. You've heard of him I presume?"

"Bits and pieces…" Marshall replied looking at Elle for some help on the subject.

"He's a classical pianist turned mainstream pop best known for his fusion between the two genres. He slid quite effortlessly into popular music and appeals especially to young adults and artists. His indie album broke the charts, but has been struggling ever since he became a product. His second album was ok, his third album sucked and so he's breaking new ground for his new for which he has enlisted the help of friends around the industry, including that of a certain Ms. Diamond, in hopes to appeal a much younger, feminine demographic…"

"Impressive…" Mr. Rivers smiled.

"Wikipedia…" Elle said walking behind the bar, "If you ask me, this album's gonna flop too!" she said and then disappeared behind the bar in search of some soda.

"Charming…" Mr. Rivers said taking his glasses off.

"That's one way to describe her—out of the norm—but a description none the less. How can I help you, Mr….um…"

"Rivers."

"Right!" Marshall stood from the stool he'd been sitting on.

"As the young lady said, Nick Agostino and Ms. Diamond are lifelong friends. She was here a couple of nights ago, raved about it to my client and now he would like to use it to hold auditions for fans who'll compete to record and sing a song with Nick in his new live album which will be recorded before Christmas. As you have possibly assumed, this is very good business for The Escape…"

"How good is it exactly?" Marshall asked.

"We've planned two rounds: preliminary and finals. The preliminary is being hosted online through video auditions that have just closed. We're currently in the process of choosing the finalists, who will be asked to come here and audition live. So, we'll need The Escape for at least three weeks, but my client will be filming some of his content here before that and of course he'll have to see the place himself. The live auditions will be streamed through Nick's web page. I suppose you have Twitter page? We could have you trending for a while and it would be great publicity for the bar!" Mr. Rivers said opening his briefcase and searching for some papers.

"Would you like something to drink, Mr. Rivers?" Elle asked, "Mind you, though, I only have access to non-alcoholic beverages. Plus, it's not even noon yet!"

"Thank you. I'll have a glass of water. You are very nice…" Mr. Rivers said.

"Yeah. Why are you being nice?" Marshall asked her, "_You're_ not getting anything out of it…"

"I'd like to audition!" she smiled and handed Mr. Rivers his drink.

"Auditions are closed, Ellie…" Marshall reminded her.

"Yes, but I didn't know!" she wailed.

"Nick's fans did…" Mr. Rivers smiled.

"I thought I impressed you when I recited his biography. Doesn't that count for anything? Besides, Mr. Rivers, I got pull with Marshall." She paused. "Doesn't the bar get some monetary incentive for doing this? Mr. Connelly is my babysitter after all. Someone's got to watch out for him! He's not being paid a dime to look after me and feed me and…"

"I can handle it, Elle…" Marshall said annoyed.

"She's smart. Of course we'd pay you for your services..." Mr. Rivers smiled and took a sip of his drink. Marshall and Elle both watched him drink it, "Is this amount about alright?" he scribbled a figure on his napkin and passed it to Marshall. Elle snooped.

Marshall chuckled, "You've got yourself a deal!"

"Before you sign, shouldn't you have someone look over the contract?" Elle asked.

"Would you let me speak?!" Marshall was exasperated. He calmed down and then spoke to Mr. Rivers, "I'll take a look at the contract and I'll let my business partner check it too…"

"Is _she_ your business partner?" Mr. Rivers chuckled. He handed Marshall the contract.

"If I was I'd get to audition…" she mumbled.

"I don't know what she is or what she's doing here…" Marshall received the contract.

Elle smiled, "I'm just a girl who wants to audition. Who knows? If all ends well, I might become Nick Agostino's biggest fan!"

"You might. Here's my card Mr. Connelly. Feel free to call me as soon as you've had your lawyers take a look at it." Mr. Rivers handed the each a calling card. "And if I should get an audition video before three this afternoon to my personal email, I might just slip it right through the finalists round—depending I see real talent and not just spam?" Mr. Rivers winked at Elle, closed his briefcase and walked out, "Good day…"

Marshall looked at the contract and the card. He was excited. In his wildest dreams he never imagined The Escape would take off this soon! He would have to thank Dylan.

"You've got to help me prepare for my audition."

"You're still here?! When is Louis coming to get you?" Marshall wailed.

"I don't know, I took a bus here remember?"

"Take whatever you need from the tip jar and take another bus back…" he said.

"Aw. Come one! You know music! Also, you're stuck with me until further notice…" she said picking up the phone and dialing, "Aren't you hungry? We can discuss my audition over lunch. I want Chinese. Do you want anything?"

"Whatever you're having…" Marshall answered absent minded.

"I'll need some money…"

"Will you leave me alone then?"

"I can make no such promises…" Elle said, happily taking the money Marshall gave her.

_**The sound of her steps down**_ the hallway barely mattered as Ms. Lane went about the school looking for her kids. She broke up a pack of moms as she made it to her sister's classroom. Once she got there she had to sit for air, while Dylan smiled down at her. Ms. Snow readied herself to leave.

"Really? Do you always look like _that_?" Ms. Snow asked chuckling. "Where have you been?"

"I was getting temporarily fired when I completely lost track of time!" Ms. Lane wailed.

"What does that even mean? And how can you walk in those? It's starting to snow!"

"Where are the kids?"

"They were taken to the Headmaster's office to wait for you there…" Ms. Snow sighed, "They called Richard. He's in there too…"

"Good. More trouble…"

Ms. Snow looked her sister from top to bottom and laughed, "Seriously, Andy! Good luck…"

Ms. Lane looked at herself. She saw nothing wrong in her gray skirt suit and red stilettos. This was how she usually dressed! She _had_ other interest than the human mind. Right now, she needed to make up for breaking her deal with Richard so early into it. Again she passed by the pack of moms who were probably roasting her right now, but she didn't care. There was not one good explanation she could come up with that her friend would accept. As she came closer to the Headmaster's office she bumped into Richard, Arthur and Hope who emerged from it. She smiled, but Mr. Jeffries wasn't smiling. In fact, no one smiled.

"Look, I am sorry…" she said. "I completely lost track of time! How can I make it up to you guys, huh?"

"You're the one completely at a loss here," Mr. Jeffries sighed, "You know, I can't believe you couldn't do one thing for me! Just this once, Andrea. Besides, this is all for you anyways. You're not really doing me any favors…"

Ms. Lane looked around. She really wished they didn't have to argue in front of the wolves in chic clothing. "Can we go someplace else?"

"Yeah, why don't we all have dinner?" Arthur added. Hope looked at him bewildered.

"Yes, lets!" Ms. Lane said, "Wouldn't you like that Hope? Hope would like that. My treat and I won't ever, ever, ever forget again—and you know perfectly why, Richard! Come on…"

"Andrea, I'm upset and…"

"Hungry?" Arthur interrupted, "Aren't you? You could argue all you want while we eat. We don't mind, do we?"

He prompted Hope's answer by elbowing her arm. "No!" she yelled.

Mr. Jeffries sighed, "Fine. Where?" After some delegation and finally agreeing Mr. Jeffries and Arthur left first.

"See that was easy?" Ms. Lane asked Hope, who shook her head in disagreement or disapproving. "What?"

"Could you sign some forms so I can be in ballet next semester?" she asked. "The form said parent or guardian. I think that's you…"

"Uh… sure" she followed Hope and realized they were headed straight to where the moms sharpened their claws.

Hope wanted to dance Ballet. Ms. Lane couldn't object to that. After all she had been the one to recommend Arthur some extracurricular activities. This teacher, who simply went by Peta, wanted to turn a bunch of girls into a Russian ballet company in as little as six months for the spring recital.

Ms. Peta cleared her throat, "Are we boring you? Ballet is a sport as much as baseball, Ms. Lane…"

"I agree. You may continue." Ms. Lane smiled, realizing they were ganging up on her and the teacher was in it.

"Well, actually now that I've acknowledge your presence as Hope's guardian I must say, though she's pretty good and shows a lot of potential, we don't think she's a good fit for this class…" one of the moms from outside said.

"It's a real shame. But so true…" Ms. Peta's condescending tone angered Ms. Lane, but not nearly as much as the other mothers' snickering did. Hope seemed disappointed, but almost like she expected it.

"May I ask why not?"

"Well," Ms. Peta leaned closer to Ms. Lane, "Her _situation_," she whispered, before going back to her normal, squeaky tone. "We don't know how long she'll be at this school. It would be too damaging to get her hopes up for nothing."

"My experience as a child psychiatrist tell me that comments like the ones you've just divulged in front of everyone are even more damaging." Ms. Lane replied coolly, "I don't need a degree in law to know that reason is based on discrimination and if _that_ were the case, as Hope's legal guardian I would have to take this up with the school board. As a parent one always has to make sure their child is being treated fairly and according to the law, right? You're all more experienced in the field than I, so you know that if I had a case—which I apparently do—_you, _Ms. Peta would be gone before _her_. Or have I got the law and school policy wrong?"

That one mom was furious. The ballet instructor, scared. Ms. Peta sighed, "If the girl showed any talent then…"

"Oh, but she does." Ms. Lane interrupted, "Not because I've seen her myself, but because _you_ told me so a couple of minutes ago. Tell me, can I trust your opinion on the subject?"

The whole class was silent. What was worse, everyone looked at them badly—which was worse for Hope since Ms. Lane was quite used to that reaction.

"If you get all the stuff on the list, practice starts next week at four." Ms. Peta said.

"I guess we're dismissed then?" Ms. Lane stood up and urged Hope to do so. "We'll see you all next week. Come along Hope…" With the corner of her eye, Ms. Lane could see Hope slouched and dragged her feet behind her, looking back at everyone in the class. "Walk up straight, chin up and eyes on the road. Don't you ever look back!"

"But it's not the Christian thing to do?" she said softly

"To stand up for yourself?!" Ms. Lane stopped to look at her, surprised at what she was hearing. Hope really was worried, "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him…" Elle looked at Ms. Lane confused, "Luke 17:3" she said and continued walking. "Come on, Richard and Arthur must be manic now!"

Hope watched her and smiled. She then stood up straight, held her chin up and hurried to walk beside her guardian.

_**When Lyla and Evan arrived **_at The Escape they found Marshall, Louis, Elle and Dylan Snow laughing. Evan didn't want to think he was an outsider, though he kind of felt he was. Only Lyla dared to ask what happened and at their inability to tell them, she gave up.

"Marshall got a deal to rent out the place to Nick Agostino for some auditions…" Elle said.

"Nick? Why is that?" Lyla asked.

"Why are you on a first name basis with the guy?" Elle asked.

"We went to Juilliard together. Didn't I introduced you guys a couple of weeks ago?" the Connelly brothers shook their heads and shrugged. "Fact is he asked me to accompany him in a song. The recording will be live during a concert he's having in a couple of weeks…"

"No way!" Marshall said, "So, you're like tight? And _you_ couldn't get me this gig?"

"I didn't know you were renting!" Lyla answered.

"How cool would it be if you and Elle were both on his album?" Marshall asked, "Huh, Evan?"

"I don't like him…" Evan said.

"Elle?" Dylan and Lyla asked in unison.

"Yes," Elle smiled, "I sort of auditioned and made the cut. The winner gets to record and sing the song on stage with him next month."

"What?" Dylan asked, "All in one day?"

"I didn't think you'd be a fan of his…" Lyla said surprised.

"One afternoon, Ms. Snow, and I'm not really a fan, Ms. Novacheck. But now that I know he's your personal friend all we have to do is cheat! Just tell me a couple of things, I'll get the rest online and if he's decent, I'll be his number one fan before my live audition next week!"

"Another audition?" Lyla remembered, "Elle, what about Juilliard? Are you not interested in that?"

Evan waited for her answer. "I don't think that's going to help me much…" she said.

"Are you kidding?" Dylan wailed, "You have no idea! Elle if these people want you, you accept. No doubt about it!"

"Well, I don't wanna…" Elle said.

"Elle, may I speak to you privately?" Ms. Snow asked.

The rest of them were puzzled by Dylan's request, but there wasn't anything too strange about it. Marshall was a little nervous and Evan a little curious. He watched them go upstairs and after they'd been up a few minutes he excused himself.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?!" Dylan snapped at Elle after making sure they hadn't been followed.

"I could ask _you_ the same question!" the girl said.

"Elle… I'm not trying to get into trouble?"

"Really?" Elle smiled, "Does Ms. Lane know you're living with my pretend Uncle Marshall now?"

"I'm a grown woman who actually has choices." Ms. Snow said, "You have none, Elle! If you get discovered everyone will get in trouble and all because of you!"

"Look, Dylan, you could have told Ms. Lane the truth at any given time! You could have told her, but you didn't and you aren't going to do it now! How is your lying to your sister my fault! Geez! I'm getting blamed for everything!"

"Elle, this isn't a game…" Ms. Snow sat the girl beside her, "I know you're angry and I understand why you might want revenge and think you have a plan, but you don't. You don't even have a case. Did you know Andrea got fired today? Whatever you thought was going to happen didn't!"

"Then I've got nothing to lose or do I?" Elle asked. "Relax. Nothing's going to happen. Mr. Rivers said that the whole crew will be there. A whole bunch of people! How is my live audition going to hint that my father's in the audience?"

"We've gone too far…" Dylan paced the room, "I was stupid for trying to think Andrea could break you and put some sense in that nonsensical blonde head of yours! Or that the Connelly would have an influence on you!"

"Then you know you've established your limits and those come with age…" she giggled.

"No, Elle! Limits come with wisdom," she turned Elle so that they were looking at one another, "And do you want to know how _I_ got mine? By crashing hard with the very same wall I built to protect myself. Back out Elle…"

"I'm not!" she set herself free from her teacher's grasp. "I'm not crashing into anything and if I crash and burn _he's_ going to hell with me!"

"Elle…" Dylan's call was for naught. Elle was gone. She was shutting down because she was finally being confronted and Dylan had been brave enough to do it. Now she had to build up the strengths to be brave enough again and tell the truth. The task was especially hard since all she wanted to do was cry.

"_**Finally!" Arthur wailed. "I'm starving!"**_

"What happened?" Richard asked.

Hope and Ms. Lane sat on the empty seat in their same booth. The waitress brought their menus. "I was enrolling Hope in ballet…"

"Ballet?" Richard asked surprised and Ms. Lane knew now Hope must remind him even more of Mira.

"Are you ready to order?" the waitress asked and they ordered.

"Can we get some coins for the video game machine while we wait?" Arthur asked.

"I thought you were starving!" Ms. Lane mocked his dramatic wail.

"I don't like to play…" Hope said putting a straw in her drink.

Arthur pulled her from her seat, "That's cause you don't know how. Let me show you…"

He took the coins from Mr. Jeffries and walked away, dragging Hope with him. Mr. Jeffries and Ms. Lane were left alone. She could tell he was still upset and she was embarrassed. "I really am sorry, Richard. I know I'm extremely worked-up with Elle's case, but that's because someone powerful is involved!"

"What do you mean?" Mr. Jeffries became interested.

"I was fired today, but not by Jerry. By a DA whose name escapes me. Jerry didn't even face me! You know that's not procedure…"

"You could sue…"

"I could, but I'm not."

Richard looked at her strange. If someone craved trouble, it was her. "You're not suing? You're…"

"Going to go with it until we find out what's going on! _Then_ I'll sue and I'll have Jerry's head for being a coward and that DA's for being a—"

"Andrea, please!" Mr. Jeffries looked around. "This is a family place! And on that subject, what about our deal? Now you're just going to chase this man obsessively and not get your information anyways because I'll have to cover _your_ end of the deal too!"

"I've got a plan, Richard…"

"Of course you do…" he sighed.

"The kids are at school for seven hours, that's 35 hours a week and I've not counted that one more hour of extracurricular activities that I plan to show up because of another battle I've got going on—that's enough to find some information on my own!"

"Do you hear yourself? You're officially insane!" Mr. Jeffries scoffed, "Lane, just stop the obsession and stop looking for fights. Get a normal hobby…"

"Like baking? You want me to bake and sew?" Ms. Lane chuckled, "I'm not that kind of woman, Rich. I can play mom but I can't be one."

The couple looked at the kids. Arthur tried to get Hope a plush toy from the hooks. Hope had already asked him if she could return to the table, but Arthur said no. He asked her to discreetly keep an eye on them and tell them what they were doing. Hope sighed. She was bored.

"All they're doing is talking! I'm going back…" she said.

"No way! Can't you see what I'm doing here?" Arthur asked.

Hope looked into the glass box with all the toys. Again the hook came back empty, "You're wasting quarters, that's what you're doing!"

"No! I mean with them!" Arthur looked back and then quickly returned to the game, "I'm going to have them be together. I want Ms. Lane to be my mom and I need your help cause you spend more time with her…"

"Ms. Lane?" Hope asked, almost in shocked. "She spends more time talking to her friend Moscato than she does with me!"

Hope looked over at the table. Ms. Lane and Mr. Jeffries were completely immerse in their conversation. She wondered what they could be saying that made them laugh so much. She liked to see them smiled.

"Janine was insane! Don't know why you're calling _me_ crazy? How could she think that?"

"Well she did, Andy," Richard said, "She thought out of all our friends you'd be the best suited to take care of Mira should something happened to us. It was on our will and everything…"

"That doesn't make her sane or her decision wise. What was she thinking?"

"Maybe about your persistence and way with people and notice how I used 'way' instead of 'tact'…"

"Dully noted."

"But sometimes you're just plain old wrong," Mr. Jeffries said showing her a piece of paper, "Remember Coral Klein-Richardson? She's been dead for 12 years."

"That's impossible!" Ms. Lane read the paper, "How can that be? The Over the Rainbow sell came through fourteen years ago. That's impossible!"

"Apparently before she died she gave the property to a Ms. Caroline Richardson. I thought she could be her daughter, but there are no records of a Caroline Richardson in New York. In fact her social security number was dropped or changed—not hers anymore."

"Coraline Richardson—that rings a bell?"

"Does it?" Richard asked, "From where? College maybe?"

Ms. Lane shrugged her shoulders. The conversation was interrupted by their waitress who came to deliver their food.

"C'mon Hope! You know you like her otherwise you'd gone with Ms. Snow or act out like Elle or told the Reverend! Besides, you know she's got great potential. She kicks ass!"

"Arthur!"

"Well, it's true! She got me into that school and then on the football team and most importantly, she helped so that Richard adopted me. I got my second chance because of her and I ain't no dummy! I ain't going to back to the streets. I'm going to be famous!"

"Famous? At what?" Hope asked annoyed.

"I don't know yet. I'm thinking its either music or football…" he said, "But I need her to be my mom. Richard's a good dad, but Ms. Lane knows how to get things done!"

"Why don't you do things yourself?" she asked looking back at the table.

"This is my second second chance at a family!"

"How many second chances are you gonna get? You're making all of this up!"

"Fine! Don't believe me, but if we broke her good, I bet _you_ could be part of our family too!"

"Now I know you're crazy!"

"One time Mr. Jeffries told me I broke the wall he put up after losing his family…"

"Mr. Jeffries had a family?" Hope looked at him and felt sorry. "What happened?"

"You're completely missing the point! What happened isn't important, it's what's gonna happen if we break that wall. We all get families—well, the same one, but I figured if August made his family come together, why can't I?"

They were finally being called back to the table. The waitress had returned with their food. Arthur asked her to keep the secret, but Hope felt even more confused than ever before.


	11. Chapter 11: Second Changces

**Chapter 11: "Second Chances"**

_**Lyla couldn't coward away again tonight.**_ With a heavy heart she decided to stay up along with him, "Louis?"

He turned around, "Did I wake you? I'm sorry, go back to sleep."

Lyla sat up on their bed waiting for her sleepy eyes to adjust to the dark. Then she finally found him, standing by the window. "You think she's the real thing don't you?"

"Who?"

"That woman? Your mom…" she replied.

"I can't believe that…" he sighed.

"That doesn't mean you don't…" their eyes finally found each other.

"Why on earth would anyone fake their death?!" he finally said desperate and confused.

"Why would she return from it?"

"That's an excellent question!" he continued, "Why fake your own death if you were going to reveal it later? The woman is crazy and therefore could not be my mother…"

"Do you remember your mom at all?" Lyla asked.

"Not as much as I can remember the pain of not having her…" Louis sighed. He didn't want to compare, but he wondered whether Evan ever felt like he was feeling. It didn't matter. Their experiences were extremely different. "I don't _need_ her anymore."

"Is that what you tell yourself so that the situation doesn't seem like Evan's?" Lyla scoffed, "I want to think so too. In fact, the three of us have that one more thing in common. We need closure. Have you ever wondered what would've happened if Evan never found us or we were really dead?"

"It's hard to imagine what didn't happen to him, with what's happening now…"

"Fair enough. My father died…" Lyla said, "I was angry at him for giving Evan away. But, when I needed to hear his side, the real version and not the fast one because I couldn't wait to find him—he was gone. I couldn't tell him I found my kid or you or how wonderful everything turned out regardless of his selfishness. So I'll never know what moved him to act so cruelly against his own daughter. You, like Evan, have a chance to know what happened, why it happened… and then move on."

"Lyla…"

"My dad's bad decision has made me fearful to commit my own faults as a mother and so I overprotect Evan and push Elle away. I'm not trying to justify myself, but a day doesn't go by that I look at our son and wonder why. I want my father to explain to me why, but I'm never going to find out. And I'm going to have to live with that, but you don't have to!"

"Will you always allow yourself to feel miserable for what he did?" Louis asked angry at the late Thomas Novaceck.

"Will _you_?" she asked and though she wanted him to feel relieved, she sort of felt it too. She would never know why her father did what he did. But Lyla couldn't allow the ghost of Thomas trick her into thinking everything hers could be easily given away; so easily lost. She wasn't willing to just give it up.

Louis looked at her. Lyla was suddenly radiant and had an indescribable glow about her. The smile that drew on her face reminded him of that last smile she gave him when they first met. Louis couldn't let this ruin their lives. Neither his resurrected mother, nor his mysterious connection to Elle would keep him from her any longer. He kissed her sweetly. "Marry me?" he asked for a second time.

"Just say when…" she whispered before kissing him.

_**Elle did it. Arthur had done it and even Evan!**_Hope needed a better reason _not_ be wondering the streets of New York all by herself. She was determined to speak to Reverend J. She looked up the church's phone number on the phone book to get its address and then looked for the address on the internet. Good thing Ms. Snow showed her how to use it. She made sure to have memorized Ms. Lane's number and like that she was off. There was nothing particularly scary about it like her friends said. It was weird to be unaccompanied but the streets weren't really scary. Not really. She reached her old neighborhood before her destination. Reverend J sat on a pew with some old lady Hope didn't recognize. She waited in the back until he was done before making her appearance. She knew very well that he would quickly take her back to school.

"Hope?" he smiled and opened his arms to receive her, "What are you doing here?"

Hope hugged him and then led him by the hand back to the front pew. "I need to talk to you."

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I did a bad thing skipping today, but I just had to come!"

Reverend James wanted to jump in a cab and continue his interrogatory there, on the way back to school. But he could tell Hope was really worried. He knew her well and if she had skipped class, just to speak to him, he better hear her out first. "Alright, Hope. We'll talk about _that_ later. Now tell me, child, what's bothering you?"

"Does God give second chances or is that just something we make up?" she asked.

"Well," the Reverend thought about it for a while. "You know the story of the Prodigal Son, don't you? That was God's way to sort of let us know He is merciful and of His grace gives us second chances."

"How do you know if you're getting one?"

"Hope why don't you tell me what's on your mind instead? It'll make things a little easier and faster if we want to get you to school before lunch or before anyone notices you're missing…"

"I never made it to first period…" she said impulsively and then lowered her head. She was embarrassed and couldn't think of any other way to get over it than talking. "Ms. Snow moved out of the house, so it's just me and Ms. Lane now. She needed some space and she wanted Ms. Lane to take care of me like she said she would. I felt sad at first because it felt like nobody wanted me, but Ms. Lane isn't so bad. We just don't talk much…"

"Why is that?"

"I guess we have nothing to say," she shrugged her shoulders.

"Seems to me like you have a lot to say…"

"To you maybe. I don't know how to talk to her or what to say."

"Did you ever think maybe she has the same problem and doesn't know how and what to talk to you about?" he asked.

"Sometimes. But Arthur says Ms. Lane gets things done and that's why he wants her to be his mom," Reverend J chuckled but Hope continued explaining, "He says he likes that Mr. Jeffries adopted him, but that Ms. Lane is the one who gets things done!"

Reverend James laugh echoed. "And what do _you_ think?"

"I think—Arthur's right…" Hope laughed with the Reverend. He watched her and for a minute she was the same little girl he remembered. Of course, she wasn't so little anymore. Hope was growing up and taking things from everyone around her to make up her character. He was especially grateful she only lost her way for a minute. Seeing her back here, talking to him, Hope was God's special child and she knew it, though he suspected her not to know what that meant.

"And was that all? It seems to me you just might be a little lonely. What happened to that friend of yours?"

"Elle?" Hope asked, "Elle's still living with Evan and his parents. But that's not really what I wanted to ask you…"

"Then what is it?"

"Is it wrong for me to be happy with another family when I have my own?"

Reverend J was confused, "What do you mean?"

"If my grandma is in Heaven with my parents, then won't they get mad that I live with Ms. Lane and have fun with Ms. Snow or Arthur or Elle? Will they get angry if Arthur invites me into his family and I say yes?"

He finally understood. Hope didn't want to hurt anyone. She wanted to live in the same Christian way her grandmother had taught her to. What she couldn't do so easily was move on.

"You see Hope," the Reverend chose his words carefully, "We all live in this world for a while. The Lord will determine if it's a little while or a longer while. It is true that the ones who've left before us watch over us from Heaven, but that doesn't mean they'll be angry or get jealous. Do you think your grandma would want you to be sad and lonely all the time?" Hope shook her head. "I thought so."

"Arthur wants Ms. Lane to be his mom and asked me to help him do it. He even said that I could be part of their family if I did, but I don't think it works that way…"

The Reverend was momentarily at a loss for words. "Well, Hope… sometimes things have a funny way of working out. All we have to do is keep believing in God and in ourselves."

"So we just keep praying and He'll do it? We don't have to do anything?"

"Uh—well, not exactly. You see…I think we need to help and make a path to follow, but He'll be the one to choose whether it's the right path for us or not. We just have to be smart about it and listen out for Him".

Hope smiled. He couldn't tell if she was completely satisfied, but it seemed as that would do for the moment. Just like he thought the girl didn't oppose to him taking her back to school and the Headmaster understood of her situation. Reverend J watched her walk to class and sent a silent prayer for everything to work out fine.

"_**I am bored out of my mind!" Elle yelled.**_

"What do you want _me_ to do about it?" Marshall asked, "Ask _him_! He brought you here…"

"Suspension was all _her_ doing…" Louis said revising Marshall's the contract Mr. Rivers left for them. "Besides, don't you have homework to catch up on?"

"Evan's no good explaining what I have to do. I'm going to flunk my classes because of him, just like it's _his_ fault I was suspended…"

"Hello…" the voice of that same woman, the one claiming to be their mother, interrupted Elle's rant. Louis looked at Marshall who looked back at him.

"Hello. I'm Elle. What's your name?"

"I'm Bridget Lawton—well, Connelly really. I guess I've widowed twice…" she smiled.

"In that case you would have married twice and that would be bigamy." Marshall added.

"Please, I've come to speak to you. Will you boys listen to me?" Bridget begged.

"Elle, will you please go upstairs?" Louis asked and she didn't dare defy him; not when he looked so serious. "Mrs. Lawton, please. If you really are who you claim to be, can you blame our resistance?"

"I guess not," she said, "But the only way to really find out if I am telling you the truth is by listening to me. Hearing _my_ side of the story." Mrs. Lawton opened her purse and took out a bundle of old letters, "Please listen…"

"Not you Elle," Louis yelled, "Upstairs please!"

Marshall went over to the bar to serve himself something strong to the sound of Elle's steps walking up the stairs. Louis walked Mrs. Lawton to a table where they sat waiting for Marshall. They could tell he didn't want to be there, but at least he was giving it a try.

"I was only nineteen when I married Seamus…"

"Oh, here we go with the excuses and justifications!" Marshall groaned.

"I'm not justifying anything. I am trying to tell you my story Marshall!" she said holding back tears.

"Seamus?" Louis asked, "So you knew our father?"

"I was married to him until the day he died." She explained, "Marshall was somewhat right to accuse me of bigamy." Marshall scoffed.

"What happened?" Louis asked.

"I was in love with your father, but not with his vices!" she continued. "Sometimes it felt like I was living with two different men. I prayed for the day he would settle for one—the better one, especially after the two of you were born. Unfortunately, for me when that day came it was all for the worse. He mistreated and abused me and I just couldn't live that way. I knew he wouldn't harm you boys and so I left…"

"Wouldn't harm us?" Marshall laughed.

"Marshall!"

"Oh, what would you know Louis?!" Marshall yelled, "I was the one to take all the heat for her leaving! You were always away looking out for her, waiting for her to return from the dead and I rather see you hurting for her than hurting from his abuse or Aunt Adeline's! Why did you think I wanted us to flee? What did we work our asses off for? To run away! To a better life!"

"I'm sorry…" Bridget said covering her face and running out of the bar.

"No. You come back! You wanted the truth I'll tell you the truth!" Marshall shouted at her whilst following her outside.

"Marshall!" Louis wanted some answers, he needed to understand.

Bridget was at the curb waiting for a taxi when Marshall caught up to her, "Every time that husband of yours came home drunk, _I'd_ have to drag him to bed and take off his boots and hear him rant about the woman who'd abandoned him; the princess who couldn't deal with the reality of her life and ran after her fantasies. I just never wanted to believe it was the same woman to whom my brother Louis put flowers on her grave til our very last day in Ireland!"

"Stop it, Marshall! Stop!" she yelled covering her ears in an attempt to drown out his voice.

"Not so brave now, mother? Do you know how the terrible Seamus died? He killed himself! An expert fisherman drowned at sea? Please! No matter how drunk, he always came home. But I guess he was just as cowardly as were you to have run away from your children!"

"That's enough, Marshall. Stop." Louis yelled stepping in between them. Louis looked at Marshall, then back at her. It was true. Bridget Lawton really was their mother. "Watch Elle…" Louis ordered while leading Mrs. Lawton to his car.

"Yes Louis, do that! Take one more screwball in! Let's keep adding more craziness because our family isn't dysfunctional enough!" Marshall shouted at him, but Louis and Bridget rode off. Louis didn't think she would be brave enough to look back at Marshall but she did. Whether she was strong enough, he wondered.

_**It was such a good day!**_ Evan got a B on his math test, (Ms. Snow handed the tests today when she also announced that next semester Mrs. Stevens would be back to teach math and she would be their art teacher), it was his last day of detention _and_ Arthur didn't have practice today so they were spending the afternoon together.

"How could _you_ get a B?" Arthur asked Evan while looking down at his paper.

Mr. Jeffries asked Lyla to take Arthur today since their apartment was closer to the optic where they had to pick up Arthur's eye glasses prescription.

"What did _you_ get?" Elle asked Arthur.

Uncle Marshall had called in hysterics asking for Lyla to pick up Elle since Louis had left with that woman. Even if Elle was around today, Evan was determined not to let her ruin his day.

"I got a C!" he wailed and Lizzy looked over. She was visiting her friend, especially after Lyla announced the wedding was back on.

"But that's a 78 which means that you missed the B by 2." Lizzy tried to lift his spirits.

"By two points?"

"No, Arthur, by 2 percent. Which I guess you would have known if you'd gotten that 2 % right, at least…" Elle explained.

"Alright, smarty pants, what did _you_ get?" Arthur asked Elle.

"I passed if that's what you want to know…"

"Now you're just teasing them!" Lizzy added.

"Ignore _her_, Arthur. Let's go to my room. I want to show you what I've been working on…" Evan was very excited, but Lyla could tell Arthur was not.

"Evan, why don't you do something else? Something you can do together?" she suggested.

"We can do this together…" Evan said and walked away, "I'll need to use dad's computer."

As soon as the boys where done, Elle turned around and looked at Lizzy, "I got a 98…"

"Did you?" Lizzy asked.

"Dylan told the class that the highest score on the test was a 98 %. I didn't think it was you…" Lyla was surprised.

"Shows how much faith you have in my abilities. I bet you don't even think I can win that audition come Wednesday."

"What audition?" Lizzy asked.

"Remember Nick?" Lyla explained and she nodded, "He's recording a live album this Christmas and has a contest for fans to sing with him. This one weaseled her way into the finals and the last auditions will be held live at The Escape, Louis's brother's bar…"

Arthur appeared in the kitchen with the excuse to take an apple, but sat down at the table with Lyla and Lizzy. Evan stood at the beginning of the hallway waiting for his friend to return.

"Wow," said Lizzy taking both hands to her head, "So much new information. So, Louis's brother owns a bar, Nick is recording live and Elle is singing with him?"

"If I win I will…" Elle said, still sitting on the couch, but turned to look at them.

"Mom's gonna play with him too, right mom?" Evan added.

"No!" Lizzy said dramatically, "You had the hugest crush on him!"

"We both did!" Lyla chuckled.

"Wait, she's not looking like _that_ for her audition is she?" Lizzy asked Lyla.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my dear girl, you'd be perfectly dressed for a rock contest or to wrestle pigs, but not to audition for that snobbish Nick Agostino!" Lizzy explained, "I tried dating him for years before I found out he didn't like me for my style—he preferred Lyla's."

"What's wrong with the way I look?" Elle asked and both Lizzy and Evan chuckled.

"Look," Arthur said, "What's real important here is what you're going to sing!"

"Arthur's got a point, there," Lyla commented, "Nick doesn't like just any song…"

Evan began to feel left out as all the attention was centered around Elle. Even his best friend was into the conversation. He tried to pry Arthur way, but he just couldn't. Arthur didn't want to see what he had to show him.

"Ms. Snow is taking me shopping for a new outfit tomorrow and Marshall is going to help me rehearse for my audition."

"I watch American Idol and the X Factor…" Arthur said to Elle, "Maybe what you need someone else to handle your make-over. People are into Taylor Swift and Justin Beiber now… you're stuck in a weird Madonna-Gwen Stefani cross kinda look."

"I think he's right," Lizzy said standing up. Her belly made it a bit difficult, but she managed to go over to Elle and with the motion of her hands asked her to stand up. "How old are you?"

"I'll be fifteen in July." She answered.

"You've got a good height. But, sweetie, the fact that we know Nick should give you the edge on this competition. Oh, please let us make you over!"

Arthur and Evan rolled their eyes. Lyla was pretty amused by what was happening.

"No way! I got a reputation to maintain…"

"Please, at fourteen no one has a reputation. Besides, you look ridiculous, I mean, you're not goth but you got the boots, you're not preppy, but you got the skirt, you're not emo, but you got that mop of hair covering your whole face…" Lizzy ran her hands through Elle's face trying to find it, as she later explained.

"How do you know so much?" Arthur asked, "Grown-ups barely know stuff like that!"

"You got to keep with the times to know today's youngsters…" Lizzy joked, "Right Lyla?"

"We're not all like Elle." Evan added, "No one's like her…"

"Exactly!" Lizzy squealed, "So I don't see why she shouldn't let herself show. Come on, let us make you over!"

Lyla stood up next to Lizzy, "You know Elle, you look the same in most all your pictures—we saw them when we agreed to take you in. Don't you want to change a little?"

"Don't you?" Elle asked, as always, challenging. "I saw some pictures of _you_ in Louis's den and you kinda look the same too."

"She's kinda right, Lyla…" Lizzy agreed.

"Well, I like it…" Evan said. He didn't want any more changes, especially if it had anything to do with Elle.

"Tell you what, Lizzy, you can makeover two for the price of one…"

"What do you mean?" Elle asked,

"If you change, I change…" Lyla felt empowered. Maybe it was the whole silliness of it, but she was beginning to convince herself that she needed that makeover as much as Elle did.

"Really?" Elle smiled. It was the first time she actually smiled with Lyla and she could kind of see Elle for the fourteen-year-old girl she was. "Ok."

"Great!" Lizzy squealed. She hurried to the table to grab her stuff before heading to the door, "Then I better go home and put my swollen feet in hot water. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day!"

**The Lawton house was big and elegant**. Gold trim, huge roman columns and tall green door made it a little intimidating for a guy like him who'd cramped four people into a three bedroom flat. There were lights inside the house as well as a car on its driveway. Louis wondered what could be inside to change _his_ life forever when his passenger started talking.

"Thank you so much, Louis. Would you like to come in?"

"I rather not…" he answered, "I left Elle with Marshall and The Escape will be opening soon, so…"

"Yes, that lovely girl. My granddaughter I guess?" she giggled.

"Not your granddaughter…" Louis corrected and instantly felt bad for the sting he could see in her eyes, "Elle's with us temporarily."

"Oh. I see. Are you sure I can't offer you anything? Water, coffee, tea? It would only be a second and it looks like Averil is here. I would like you very much to meet her!" Bridget waited to see if Louis would ask about the person. Having coaxed him out of his car, already walking towards the front door, and seeing that he didn't, she said: "Averil is your sister."

Louis was afraid of that. Siblings, stepparents and any other truth he had been kept from. It was one thing having lost and found them, but another entirely having never known. It was too late to back out now after agreeing to come inside. Although he wanted answers he was unsure of whether he really needed all this after all. He followed her inside where the gold and the columns and the wealth where even more obvious. A small, hairy dog greeted them at the door just before a voice called out for her mother. Louis really wasn't ready to see her, but see her he did. There right in front of him was a woman very much, extremely too much, like Elle.

Averil was shocked to see Louis. "My brother?" she asked, and Louis couldn't quite make out if it she was happy or angry or just as confused as he had been when all this was discovered. "I have an older brother?" she smiled.

"Well, Marshall's the eldest, but Louis is still older than you are…" Bridget explained proudly.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it!" she was excited. Averil ran over to Louis and hugged him like, he figured, two siblings would at a reunion. Louis put his arms around her unsure. Again, that same weird electricity he felt when he first touched Bridget caused them to pull away, especially since Averil felt it too. "Wow. Did you feel that? Must mean we really are connected."

Louis nodded, rendered speechless.

"Come on in, Louis. Come to the kitchen and have a little something with us…" Bridget invited and before he could answer Averil took him by the arm and followed their mother.

The kitchen was straight out of a magazine. Everything shone as if it had never been used. It smelled of sugar and ginger and he quite liked it. Averil offered him tea, which he would have refused had he seen a bar near somewhere, while Bridget sat herself next to him with the old letters in her hand. Averil served them their tea and took a seat in front of them, seating the dog at her lap. Louis took all of it in, but Averil especially. He had a sister whose resemblance to the woman's eyes in his dreams was uncanny to Elle's. Had he been wrong about Elle? Had he been dreaming about Averil instead?

"I know this is overwhelming," Bridget's voice interrupted his thoughts. "But now, if I may, I would like to finish the story I started at the bar and answer your questions. Maybe you can get through Marshall…"

"I can't wait to meet him…" Averil sighed and smiled. She had to be around 25 or 27 years old.

"After I left, there was no question I would be coming here. My parents had siblings here and of course, I thought it would be easy to find them. I never did." Bridget explained. "Instead, I met Daniel Foster a Harvard graduate looking to pursue law. I confided in him and he suggested that I write you letters for after I got my citizenship, I could ask for you and bring you and your brother here to live with me. But my letters were always returned and I couldn't possibly leave the country now and risk never coming back and seeing you father again…so, I started working for Mr. Foster. After he proposed, I was so scared—for the bigamy charges and I was so young—I ran away from him and that's when I met Frederick Lawton. He was an already acclaimed lawyer so I decided not to tell him my story lest he think I wasn't really in love with him. And I married him."

"And to think Mr. Foster could have been my father…" Averil said to herself, but loud enough for them to hear.

"My late husband wasn't as good as I thought. We hadn't been married for a year when I got pregnant and Averil was born and he resented that I gave him a daughter, having the ability to birth sons…"

"Father was too traditional, too conservative and plain just old fashioned." Averil interrupted, "He treated us miserably. In fact, I found out I had brothers when he threatened mom to kill her if she ever reminded him of it. Thank God for college!"

"I was abused and mistreated until the day he died, five months ago…"

"It was a car accident in Maine…" Averil interrupted Bridget again, confirming to Louis that she knew everything and always had.

"It was then that I was finally free to search for you, only I didn't know where to begin!" Bridget said, "Averil was looking for tickets to take her niece to see Darling Diamond when she came across the article about the Escape. I instantly recognized Marshall, but I still wanted to see him for myself. How long have we been this close? You boys must have struggled so much. Louis what happened?"

Louis cleared her throat. "We came as teenagers and worked as musicians. Eventually we got a residency and citizenship in San Francisco. I went to school and then moved here to be with my family and of course, Marshall followed."

"Oh! So, you're married too? Do you have any children?" Averil asked excitedly, "I have a two year old, Crowley."

"I, um…" Louis had had enough awkwardness. He even wondered why this was still awkward. "Evan's 13…14 in a couple of weeks—how come… why did you… what are… are we supposed to pick up where we left off? Cause I can understand why Marshall's upset!"

"I understand that neither one of you longer need me," Bridget was sad, "But you had to know I was alive. Your father kept me from you and even my letters and then—I guess I shouldn't blame anyone else—then I kept me from you. That doesn't mean I stopped caring. It means that I'm sorry and am trying to build a new relationship with my two sons. The old one is broken, I broke it, but may I please get a second chance?"

"I have to go…" Louis finally said. Averil seemed angry he left her mother upset, but Bridget understood.

"Yes." She sniffed, "You have your girl to look out for—Averil, did I tell you Louis is taking care of a young girl that looks just like you? Well, I was so surprised to see her and even more so to discover she wasn't actually _his_. Here was me thinking she took after you…"

Louis closed the door behind him and hurried into his car. He didn't want to see Averil's reaction to her mother's comment and she didn't want to stay there much longer. The one thing he did want to know what who Elle was. It couldn't be merely coincidental that she looked very much like his half-sister.

"_**Reverend James called me…"**_ Ms. Lane said during their visit to the supermarket as requested by Hope.

"I skipped school to go see him today. I'm sorry…" Hope admitted.

"I do not want you sneaking off like that," she said, "Do you know why Richard doesn't regularly check-up on us? Because he trusts both of us: you to be good and me—well, he trusts me to keep you alive."

"I think you'd make a good mom, Ms. Lane…" Hope smiled unaware of how strongly her guardian disliked all comments of the sort.

"Well, you're not dead…" she managed to say. "I'm sorry I'm not more fun than Dylan. I used to be fun, I think. So what's the plan Hope? Why are we here?"

"I want to bake cupcakes to give to everyone who's been nice to me this awful year." She explained, "My grandmother baked a lot and she taught me how. She was teaching me how to frost so that the cupcake would sorta look like a rose. We wanted to make cupcakes bouquets for Lyla and Louis's wedding. I guess I'll have to do something else for them…anyways we'll bake tonight and then tomorrow we'll deliver them. Together." Hope smiled at her guardian, "In fact, I'll make a list of the people. If we don't know their addresses, we can look them up on the internet like Ms. Snow taught me!"

"Of course she did…well I guess you came up with a plan for Saturday before me, so you got dibs." But, Ms. Lane was clueless. Isle after isle she felt like she was in a completely different dimension. The women hanging out in the baking isle were either old or moms. Those with kids looked at her like she had offended them merely by dressing the way she did and the elder women smiled at her condescendingly for the same reason. Most all the women Ms. Lane knew dressed in a skirt suit and high heels. Of course most of them weren't mothers and they weren't usually found in _this_ isle. In fact, she saw a couple women—more her type—in the wines section and buying sushi. "What do you want for dinner?" she asked her companion.

"Oh, how sweet!" said a woman. Ms. Lane looked at her: blonde hair in pony tail, tired smile, layered shirt, wash-out jeans, Asian girl hiding behind her and Puma tennis shoes. "My name's Toni. It's short for Antonia which I hate, and this is my daughter Michelle. Is she your daughter?"

"Michelle?" Ms. Lane asked cynically. She didn't like when random people eavesdropped. Toni laughed and so did Hope. "Oh, you mean Hope. I'm going to say yes because I really want this conversation to be over…"

"Looks like you have to look out for _her_ more than she needs to look out for _you_, huh?" Toni said to Hope. "Well, here's my card. Call me if you want to schedule a play-date. I think Michelle is about your age."

"You don't know how old your daughter is?" Ms. Lane asked.

"I gotta run. We've got to bake 25 cupcakes for a bake sale tomorrow. I'll see you around ok?" Toni smiled, "Call me!" she mouthed as moved on to the next isle.

"Let me see that…" Ms. Lane took the card from Hope. Toni had her own business and it was some kind support group for adoptive parents and their children to meet and be friends? Ms. Lane was awed. She couldn't believe that woman was an entrepreneur. She didn't have the suit! Hope watched her guardian. She seemed really confused.

"I'm eleven. I'll be twelve on April 22." She announced and Ms. Lane found that information more useful than she initially thought.

"_**So, what are you going to sing?"**_ Arthur asked Elle. She was sitting in the den using her computer. He was bored and since August seemed to have run out of ideas he went in search of Elle.

"I was thinking of doing something of Michael Jackson's, but now I'm just not sure. These ladies have scared me to death."

"I didn't think you could be scared," Arthur teased, "You're always so… sure."

"Sure?" Elle scoffed, "Do you really think so? I'm a ping-pong ball now. No one wants me and I've no real place to be. If it's a scary thought now that the government protects me, can you imagine how frightening it will be a few years from now?"

"I was on the street for a long time and I didn't worry about any of that. Why should you?"

"Because I guess I've had to do things most teenage girls don't at my age. Be a bit more grown up..."

"You're not supposed to be anything you're not. Ms. Lane explained that once. So I just do whatever feels right for me."

"Please…" she chuckled.

He smiled, "Like, I was there the night things changed for Aug—Evan and I almost stopped him. Then there was something about him that made me hit Wizard with the guitar. I didn't even think that Wizard would have it out for me and I would have to run deeper into the streets. I didn't even know that I would be helping August again and get a second chance while doing it…"

"A second chance?" Elle scoffed, "I'll admit to you going through a lot more stuff than I, but I don't see how one can have second chances. I mean really. Only your circumstances change and they keep changing on you and you don't even know where you're going!"

"What's the point in knowing where you're going? Do you want to prepare for it, like, going on vacation or something?" Arthur scoffed, "That's stupid! What's the fun in that? I like adventure. Plus, I don't like to think too much about things. If I did, I would miss stuff that I don't wanna miss."

"Go with the flow kinda guy…" Elle nodded and smiled, "I get it…"

"What I really mean is, I don't want to miss a thing!" he was excited.

"That's a good song choice…" Elle smiled and Arthur was about to ask something when Lyla called him. Richard arrived.

"I guess I'll see you at school then, huh?" Arthur smiled.

"Yes, but not on Wednesday." Elle winked.

Arthur looked back once more before leaving the den. She wasn't so bad. He liked her.

"_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender. I could stay lost in this moment, forever…where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure…"_1

Yes, Arthur smiled, he _did_ like her.

_**There was frosting and there was fondant **_and there was baking powder, apparently necessary to actually… bake the flour? Ms. Lane spent more time on the computer than actually helping Hope. There was so much she didn't know and felt like she should, not because she was a woman, but because common sense told her to. Hope knew! She was almost ready to put the batter in the oven and Ms. Lane could barely understand how to turn the contraption on. Hope was enjoying this. She wondered what Arthur would say if he found out Ms. Lane couldn't get _everything_ done. But Hope admired her persistence and willingness to try… maybe that's what he meant.

"Why don't you just put them in yourself?"

"It says here children need parent's supervision when operating the oven, besides it's on!"

"It's on, but not heating…" Ms. Lane was just about to crack when there was a knock on the door. "Thank God!" she said and hurried to open it. Hope realized the temperature was down. That's why the oven didn't heat.

"I got it!" she yelled.

"Good," Ms. Lane said as she opened the door. There in front of her stood Richard and Arthur in a complete state of shock, "Not a word…" she said letting them in.

"Is that… flour?" Richard asked amused.

"Forget that, she's wearing jeans!" Arthur added and the laughed.

"I still need someone to help me put these in the oven…" Hope yelled from the kitchen.

"I'll give you ten bucks if you finish helping here…" Ms. Lane told Arthur.

"A'ight!" he said walking towards the kitchen, "I would have done it for a piece of cake…"

"You're baking _and_ bribing now…" Richard teased, "How many hidden talents!"

"What do you want, Richard? Do you have some information for me?" she said trying to get some of the flour off her shirt.

"I do, but first let me tell you, as you case worker, that you are doing a wonderful job with Hope, juts never leave her alone in the kitchen again, and as your friend, it's nice to see you relaxed…"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, Rich," she chuckled, "I might have undusted my old jeans, but I am far from relaxed."

"Yes, baking can take a toll on a person," he mocked her, "Now to more serious matters—and this really is serious. We found her father…"

Ms. Lane looked at her friend, he was very serious. "Elle's or—Hope's?" she didn't want to admit it, but Ms. Lane was getting used to Hope's company.

Mr. Jeffries sighed, "Both of them…"

1 I Don't Want To Miss A Thing lyrics © RealSongs


	12. Chapter 12: The Pileup

**Chapter 12: The Pileup **

_**Elle wanted to cry.**_ She wanted to run away—away from New York and everything she knew and have known thus far. This wasn't her. This was only confusing. She looked in the mirror unable to recognize her own reflection there. Lizzy's enthusiasm was infectious and had both her and Lyla immerse into something they would have never done had they been able to think clearly. She didn't want this. The dress was nothing special. It's sleeves covered up to her elbows and the skirt opened up the way she liked. It was a navy blue color with little white flowers and a big brown belt around her waist. Elle loved the new brown ankle boots she got to go along with it, but the overall feeling was that the person in the mirror was not her. In fact, Elle was scared of the person staring back at her. Her long hair was cut short and her unruly curls tamed to bounce gracefully off her shoulders. But this was not her. The girl she was staring at now was much too vulnerable and vulnerability was a bad thing.

"Elle, come out already! You can't possibly be taking _this_ long!" Lizzy yelled from outside.

"Come on, Elle. I've already done it." Lyla added.

Lyla wondered if Elle felt anything like she had felt. Lizzy confiscated their old clothes so that her guinea pigs wouldn't go back into their comfort zone. Shopping had been pretty pleasant as was going to the salon and getting her hair done. It had been a long time since Lyla felt like a girl. However, all her courage melted away when she put on the A-line, knit-pink dress. She felt a little shock of something resembling confidence while fastening the glossy pink belt and the aquamarine printed peep-toe wedges, but looking at it all together: this wasn't her. Lizzy had talked her into cutting her hair short and now Lyla experienced that feeling of having done something terribly wrong. She tried tucking a curl behind her ear but the rebellious tresses just jumped back into her face.

Lizzy was all smiles, applause and even a little bit of jumping when she saw her friend come out of the dressing room. She really hoped this small change would boost her friend's confidence enough to get her out of the funk she perceived her in. As for Elle, Lizzy was convinced that a little pampering and change would adjust her attitude to reflect the person she really was or could be. Though Lizzy was a musician, she was convinced she should've been a psychologist.

Elle refused to come out and Lyla began to worry, "Elle? Is everything ok in there?" But Elle couldn't speak. Her tears where taking over and she was afraid to be discovered. Once again, Lyla became self-conscious, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Liz. Lizzy?"

Lyla turned around to discover her friend crouching over, a hand on her stomach.

"Lizzy! Are you ok?" she asked alarmed.

"Oh, God. I think this is it!" Lizzy said scared.

"We need to get you to a hospital fast! Elle, come out of there. Lizzy's having the baby and we need to take her to the hospital now…"

Elle became scared. She didn't know what to do, so she came out of her hiding place and helped Lyla and the people at the salon with Lizzy. She thought she wouldn't have time to be self-conscious, until she realized both Lyla and even Lizzy where staring.

_**Evan was finally ready to have some fun.**_ In fact, he was only angry at the fact both him and his dad overslept. Though it was closer to lunchtime, Louis thought it was still a good time for brunch. So they went out for brunch in the city. If the girls were out in the city, so should they. They had brunch at Sarabeth's in Central Park, because Evan had asked to visit Belvedere Castle and take some pictures. It had been a while since he included new pictures into his collection and he heard a boy in class say he took great pictures there.

"So tell me Evan," Louis asked him after their food had arrived. "Is there anything new that you'd like to share with me? How's school?"

"Peaceful since Elle's not around." Evan answered, "I am also working on a new symphony for this class, but the professor says that if it's good enough they would consider including it for the concert this Spring…"

Evan's conversation was cut by his father's cellphone going off. Louis answered it and by his gestures Evan could tell it was Uncle Marshall calling. He heard Louis promise he would "swing by later", which was fine by him if he got to do what he wanted with his father first.

"Was that Uncle Marshall?" Evan asked though he knew.

"Yes." Louis said taking a bite of his sandwich. "Go on…"

"I—is that lady from before really your mother?"

Louis wasn't sure what to answer. He didn't really know what to think of that himself.

"Does she know about the wedding?" Evan asked again only because he regretted having asked the first question. He was curious enough, but he could tell it made his dad uncomfortable. He would have to hold his questions about Elle until later, when his happy mood was recovered.

He was stuck trying to give Evan an answer and so Louis decided he would have to find out himself. The decision would have to come quickly enough so that they all had enough time to adjust to any changes. In any case, a DNA test was the best way to terminate all doubts. He would have to suggest it to Marshall and Mrs. Lawton. His son's question about the wedding would have to wait a little more. "Evan, I…" just before he could say anything his cellphone, once again, interrupted their talk.

Louis answered it, but this time Evan didn't know who was on the other end of the conversation. His dad's expression was serious which made him a little nervous. If his mother had been with them, Evan wouldn't have felt afraid, but since she was somewhere else and with Elle, he understood he could be a little uneasy.

"I'm sorry, Evan." Louis said handing up, "We'll have to postpone our visit to Belvedere. Now we have to go back."

"Why?" Evan was not only disappointed, but he felt angry too.

"I got a call from a lawyer—something about Elle. I better call Lyla and Ms. Lane too."

As Louis hit the keys on his phone, Evan felt himself getting angrier. He was so sick of Elle!

"I don't care. Why do we have to go?"

Louis was surprised by his son's defiant attitude. "Evan, we decided to take Elle in and…"

"We didn't decide anything! _You_ did!" he yelled, "And she's not even a good person because you know what? She's lying! She knows where her parents are!"

"What? How do you know?" Louis asked and suddenly all of Evan's bravery went out. He didn't want to have to admit he was snooping through Elle's room this morning while his father got ready. Louis and Lyla didn't want him coming into her space even if she was around. Also, he knew he should have done it. "I've asked you a question."

"Well so have I and you refused to answer."

He failed to recognized the boy in front of him, let alone admit it was his son. Louis knew Elle's presence in their home was a cause for tension, but he never really knew just how much it was affecting Evan. Maybe this was all a blessing in disguise. The lawyer had called to remove Elle from their home as of today.

"Let's go." Louis said and Evan followed silently, regaining some of his composure.

"_**Is everything alright?"**_

Now was the perfect time to tell him. Ms. Lane and Reverend James watched Hope hurry to the back of the church and deliver some of the cupcakes she had baked. Reverend James saved his for later, placing it on his desk for display. Ms. Lane was sure he could tell she was fairly uncomfortable being in his office, but she had to tell him the news about Hope's dad. She didn't know how to approach the subject with her and hoped the Reverend would know what to say.

"Actually, we've got some news about the whereabouts of Hope's biological father." Ms. Lane announced, much to Reverend James's surprise. "He's out of prison, though he sports an electronic shackle."

"Does he know about Hope?" he asked.

"We're not sure how much her mother told him. We understand he left before she was born, so he has no paternal rights over her…"

"I was under the understanding he _did_ know about Hope's existence." Reverend J interrupted, "If I am not mistaken, Mary often said that she had to accompany her daughter when she went to see him. Sometimes she even took Hope with her. Then after she died, well, Mary wanted nothing to do with him and I understand, he never wanted anything to do with them either."

"That could shake things a bit. We'll need to check Hope's birth certificate and look for a paternity registry. If he is listed on her birth certificate, we need to find out if he gave his consent for it which declares Hope her daughter. If not then I don't think we'll have much problems and it won't be necessary for him to sign a release in order for Hope to be adopted."

"Ms. Lane, I have the upmost faith in our Lord and then you to help Hope with this situation," the Reverend said taking her hands. "Hope has lived through so many hurtful things in her short life, that it is nice to see her just be herself and act a happy girl again. I want to thank you for that."

"Oh, you really shouldn't…"

"But I should." He smiled, "I know you didn't want to do this. I am just glad you did and so outstandingly."

"I don't think Hope should know about her father," Ms. Lane said uncomfortably changing subjects.

Reverend James smiled, "I think she should. I'll help you tell her when she comes back in."

"Tell me what?" Hope asked coming in. She only had a few cupcakes in her carrier and Ms. Lane knew exactly who they were for.

"Ms. Lane's got something important to tell you and I'll help her out…" he said.

Hope didn't know what to expect, but she was hoping Ms. Lane would want to keep her. After all, these last couple of weeks together hadn't been so bad.

"Hope," Ms. Lane started. "We've found your father."

"What?" Hope asked and Ms. Lane would have explained if her phone hadn't rung. She saw it was Louis Connelly and decided to answer. Though she was no longer working on Elle's case, she was still very interested if anything new had come up. If nothing else, she didn't have to explain Hope anything; Reverend James would.

"Hope, your father is not dead as we assumed he was," the Reverend continued. "But he's made a lot of bad choices and the law is kinda watching what he does, you know, to make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble."

"What kind of trouble is he in?" Hope asked. She was curious and she was also scared. She didn't have a single memory of this man and now, all of a sudden, he was real.

"I'm not sure I know or whether Ms. Lane can tell."

"Does he want to see me?" She asked shyly. "I want to see him."

"And you should get to meet him in order for you to move on and live in complete peace."

"Move on?" Hope asked, "Am I going somewhere?"

"No, I don't think so." Reverend James sighed, "But you should remember, Hope, your stay with Ms. Lane is only temporary."

"Maybe she'll change her mind and adopt me." She said, but became fearful when the Reverend didn't answer. "She could, couldn't she?"

"Come on Hope, we've got to go!" Ms. Lane came in saying. "Something has happened with Elle's case and I got to tend to it. I'll drop you off with Dylan. I'll have to call Richard too."

"I would go with you, but I am officiating a wedding at 3:00pm." Reverend James said.

"It's alright, Reverend. We better be going anyways. Thank you."

_**Arthur hated to clean his room or anything else for that matter.**_ But Mr. Jeffries insisted they had to get things done.

"Why couldn't Andrea done it?" he wailed while taking the vacuum out of the closet.

Mr. Jeffries looked around amazed at the big mess the two of them made in the little times they were at home. "Andrea is not our house keeper. She's just helping me by watching you after school."

"She doesn't do a very good job," Arthur chuckled. "Hope makes sure we both make our homework. Andy lets us eat take out most of the time. I don't think she can cook."

"She can't." Mr. Jeffries said wondering whether he succumbed to his friend's will too easily.

"Since when do you know her, pops?" Arthur asked. He didn't think he'd asked that question before.

"We met in college. We had most of our classes together, in fact, I had such a huge crush on her, she introduced me to Janine to get me off her back." Richard smiled remembering.

"Why didn't she like you?"

"I don't think she didn't like me." Mr. Jeffries pondered, "I think she was just focused on what she wanted to do."

"So, if she hadn't been so focused and would have agreed to ask you out… would _she_ be your wife then?"

Richard Jeffries had never thought about that. He loved Janine and with Elmira their lives was complete. Never before had he wondered if their closest friend, would have taken Janine's spot had she been less focused and scared. "I don't know. I loved Janine…"

"Yeah, and I don't mean to disrespect or anything. I was just curious," Arthur said over the noise of the vacuum. "Since Janine's not here and the person I've seen is Andrea… I guess I was just curious."

Mr. Jeffries was happy to have the noise from the machine act as a divider between them. Arthur was so detached from his past life… that… twice today he'd referred to Janine and Mira as the past. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to say because it stung a little. But listening to Arthur talk about them, like the strangers they are in his life, now tied to his… his cellphone was ringing. He picked it up.

"Arthur turn that off!" he yelled through the noise to finally hear Andrea's voice on the other end. His heart skipped a beat as if she somehow had heard their conversation. He could barely concentrate in what she said, but in the end understood that she needed him and that's where he would be.

_**Lizzy was having her baby.**_ Lyla was thankful her husband rushed to her side. This was a frightening experience for her and that's when she realized it was an experience she missed. As nauseated as she was the whole cab drive to the hospital, Lyla wondered what it felt like to give birth. She had Evan and a scar to prove she had a baby, but she hadn't felt anything, not near as terrifying as her friend. At least, Lyla didn't think so. She walked over to the waiting area where Elle had to stay behind willing to wait and meet Lizzy's little stranger. However, Elle was not there. Afraid she had run away, Lyla asked the nurse at the station who assured her she had seen a girl with the same description walking down a hall. Lyla followed that hall and right in front of the nursery, she found Elle. She stood next to the girl for a while, just admiring the babies. It seemed as if they were the only strangers in a space full of fathers, grandmothers and the likes.

"You look gorgeous, Elle." Lyla offered, hoping it would bring a little bit of peace between them.

"Thanks, you look good, too." She said with her head down and fidgeting with her fingers. Elle was definitely different and Lyla wondered if Lizzy's idea had been the right thing to do.

"Between you and me," Lyla whispered, "They don't look half as cute as one would expect."

"They are so small and inoffensive, helpless…" she said in a low tone. "How can anyone just leave them to fend for themselves? Clearly, they can't…"

Lyla wanted to be the wiser, but in all honestly she couldn't. Elle had posed a question to which she had no answer, because she hadn't given her kid up. "I don't know… I…" Lyla looked at the girl and realized she was crying. This was the first time, she'd caught Elle off guard. She didn't know quite how to handle it, but her body reacted light-years before her head as she embraced Elle for the very first time. The real surprise, though, was that the girl didn't resist it.

But the embrace wasn't awkward. It was rather soothing. Lyla could feel both Elle and herself calm down as tension was released. She couldn't tell whether it was a tension between them or the general tension of the whole situation with Lizzy. Lyla finally experienced Elle as just a fourteen-year-old girl who needed direction. In between sobs Elle apologized and asked Lyla to forgive her. She trembled like a leaf and Lyla became afraid that she would get sick.

"Elle, are you alright?" She asked, but the girl could only cry.

"You don't know, you just don't know…" she repeated between sobs, until they were interrupted by Lyla's cellphone.

It was Louis and he didn't have good news.

_**Dylan was woken up by her cellphone ring. **_

"_Where are you?" _It was her sister.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"_I need you to watch Hope for a couple of minutes, but then I remembered I don't know where you live. Where are you?"_

"Andrea, I told you, unless it's an emergency…"

"_It is an emergency, Dyl! Where are you? I can come pick you up cause maybe I'll need you to watch over Arthur too. I need Richard to help me, trust me, this is a huge deal."_

Dylan didn't answer. She looked around, depressed to find herself unable to leave Marshall's apartment. They've been having a couple of terrible nights, she especially and she didn't know how much more of this she could take. Dylan Snow was a nomad and she had overstayed her welcome here to the point where she might be growing roots.

"_Dylan?"_

"Andy, is it a real emergency? I mean what constitutes as an emergency for you…"

"_Margene Boyer and her lawyers called Louis Connelly. They want to take back Elle or else they'll accuse the Connelly of kidnapping. She got a hold that I am no longer working for her and has accused me with the agency… Dylan, I'm really in trouble now and I need your help."_

"Elle?" Dylan sat up. Her heart pounded so fast it hurt, "Andrea… I…"

"_Don't you worry too much though, I have a couple tricks up my sleeves and hope to be done with this hiccup in no time. Can you watch the children or not? Where are you?"_

"Listen, Andrea, there's something I need to tell you about Elle…" she finally spit up, "But I can't tell you over the phone."

There was silence over the line.

"Andrea?"

"_Where are you Dylan?"_

Dylan sighed, "I'm at The Escape. That's where I've been staying, but I really need to talk to you about Elle before you do anything at all, Andrea. Anything, you hear me?"

"_You've been staying at The Escape? What—with—why…wait. What have you to tell me about Elle that I wouldn't know? And why wouldn't you tell me sooner?"_

"Andy, I…"

"_I—I'm reminded of something… didn't you have a friend by the name of Coraline Richardson?"_

Dylan swallowed hard. She wasn't prepared to face her sister, but this had taken her too long and now her sister could be in danger of losing her job and all credibility, "Um… I do. You met her that one time when we vacationed together at the lake."

"_The lake? Hold on, you said you do—as in present tense. Dylan… is… Elle…"_

"Andrea just come here and I'll explain everything better."

"_No! Shit! I knew you'd do something like this! Always out to complicate my life, Dylan! Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner? Why wait until now? Why are you protecting your friend? And to top this off you're probably sleeping with Louis's brother, are you kidding me? Dylan! When will I be done raising you?"_

"You don't have to, you know…" Dylan said, tears stinging at the back of her eyes.

"_You are right. I don't. and I don't want to. Forget about everything! I'll clean this up myself. But you stay the hell away! I'm done with you Dylan."_

Her sister hung up and Dylan could almost see her throw her cellphone on the floor. She had every right to be angry at her. She should have come clean and told her the truth before things got any worse. Her crying gave her a headache and made her want to puke, which she did again today as if it had been unfinished business from the night before.

"I can't do this! Not today! I can't talk to them!" Marshall came upstairs practically foaming at the mouth. He was furious and the red in his face attested to that. "I got Mr. River and that dude coming in today, I can't handle this."

Dylan washed her mouth and face before coming out. "This is probably a bad time, but we need to talk."

"Not now Dylan. I've got business coming in and that woman is sitting down there, stubbornly waiting for me to change my mind! I can't handle this right now! Where the hell is Louis?"

"Marshall, you have to calm down," Dylan said. "There is still some time before Mr. River and the crew get here. Why don't you just—who is it that's downstairs again?"

"A crazy woman!" Marshall said opening up a beer, "You. Go get rid of her, please and then we'll talk about whatever it is you want to talk about."

"No! What do you want me to say? I don't even know her?"

"It's never stopped "Marshall, you have to calm down," Dylan said. "There is still some time before Mr. River and the crew get here. Why don't you just—who is it that's downstairs again?"

"A crazy woman!" Marshall said opening up a beer, "You. Go get rid of her, please and then we'll talk about whatever it is you want to talk about."

"No! What do you want me to say? I don't even know her?"

"It's never stopped _you_ from talking to people before. Just tell her we're busy and get rid of her. I need her gone before Mr. Rivers arrives." Marshall insisted.

"I'll have to change then…"

"There's not time Dylan! Just go, you're fine. _I've_ gotten used to this, why should you perk up for a crazy stranger when I get…well, you."

"Gee, thanks, Marshall…" Dylan was angry. "There are a whole lot of stuff going on this morning, yet somehow you've managed to turn it all right back around to you! Bravo."

"Would you just go? Please?" Marshall said, "You can be sarcastic later."

Dylan went downstairs. There was definitely no doubt it was time for her to go. She was a nuisance to everybody around her.

At the bar, Dylan found a young woman with her hair in wrapped up in a messy bun. She was very pretty, with an uncanny resemblance to Elle. Dylan was almost afraid to discover who she was and why Marshall wanted to get rid of her.

"Hi." Dylan said cautiously.

"Hi. My names Averil and I'm just waiting for Marshall." She explained while stacking a bunch of papers and pictures in a pile.

"I don't think he's coming…" Dylan approached her. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Averil looked down at a picture and chuckled, though Dylan suspected it was not a happy memory the one popping into the strange woman's mind.

"Marshall thinks he's the only one in this world to have been through hell," she said. "Won't admit other people have experienced it."

"I'm sorry, you are?"

"I'm Averil Lawton, Marshall's younger sister—well, half-sister, and you see this man?" Averil pointed to a man in a picture. "He was my father and the most miserable being on earth."

Dylan looked at the man in the picture, "I know him! This is _your_ father?"

"Yes…" Averil was surprised. "Where do you know this man from?"

"He's my best friend's dad," Dylan took the picture in her hands to study it more carefully. "He's dead now, but yeah, that's him. Frederick Richardson."

"What? No. You must be confused. This is my father, Frederick Lawton. He died in an accident up in Maine a year—well, almost two years ago."

"Oh." Dylan didn't want to say anything more, but that was exactly how her friend's father had died. Maine is where they had their home; where her mother was buried.

Averil could see Dylan was hiding something. She didn't say much else, but Averil was willing to coax her out of it, until the bar's door flew open and in came Mr. Rivers with some man Averil didn't know and the headliner singer she came to know as Darling Diamond.

"Dylan?" Darling Diamond asked and Averil was surprise to see the two knew each other. The celebrity took off her sunglasses to reveal the deepest blue eyes Averil had only seen once before and that was in her own reflection. "What are you doing here?" Darling asked.

"I'm… I better change. Uh, Darling, this is Averil. Averil, this is Darling Diamond, the…um, friend I was talking to you about." Dylan said ready to get out of there. She felt an explosion coming on and she hoped to be far away from it by the time it went off. As she hurried up the stairs she bumped into Marshall who was coming down.

"Why didn't you tell me they were here?" he asked her.

"I was just coming up to do that, but… um, Marshall, we got to talk, I have to go…"

"Alright then go…" he said passing by her, though she stopped his progress downstairs. "What?"

"I mean forever…" Dylan announced, impatiently waiting his reaction.

Marshall shrugged his shoulders, "Alright. Have a nice trip!"

He hurried down the stairs before she got ahold of him again. Marshall was sick of the way Dylan had been lately—all bothered enough not to want to be with him. He was sure this was long time coming, but a part of him hoped it was only temporary. Now he knew the truth. Even in his drunkenness his father was right.

"Hey—what are you still doing here?" he asked when he saw Averil sitting at the bar.

"I'm just meeting with Darling Diamond, but I best be on my way." Averil said.

"Yes, and take your pictures with you…" Marshall looked the other way, "Mr. Agostino, Mr. Rivers it is a pleasure to have you here—and Ms. Diamond, of course!"

"I'm sorry I'm late," Louis said coming in with Evan close behind him. "Marshall, can we—Averil? What are _you_ doing here?"

Louis was hoping to talk to Marshall about not being able to help him with this thing with Rivers and the celebrities. He had to go home and tend to Elle's case. In fact, he was even hoping Evan could stay here with him.

"Louis! I—whoops!" Averil had practically jumped out of her seat at the sight of her other brother, knocking down the box she carried her pictures in. "It's ok. I'll get it…" She said when Evan and Darling Diamond bent over to help them pick it up.

Darling Diamond took a picture and stared at it while sitting on the ground. Though Evan continued his task, Averil stopped with her.

"Why do you have a picture of this man?" Darling Diamond asked Averil.

"He was my father," Averil said very much afraid to admit to it. "See? Here's another picture. This was my high-school graduation."

"I'm sorry, but that's impossible—this is _my_ father and this year was _my_ high school graduation."

Evan stopped to look at the two women. They looked very much alike, only Averil had freckles on her face and Darling Diamond did not. She had a very intimidating stare that reminded him of…

"Elle." Evan said outloud.

"What?" Elle asked coming from the crowd at the door, almost unrecognizable.

"What's going on?" Lyla asked. She was only a couple of steps behind Elle.

"This is your mother…" Evan stood up to accuse, "This is Elle's mother!"

Evan pointed at Darling Diamond who still held Averil's pictures in her hands. She looked frightened and straight at Nick Agostino.

"Evan, that's not…" Marshall said.

"It's true…" Lyla said, but it sounded more like a question and more like a question for Nick.

Nick didn't know how to answer it. Without all that messy hair covering her face, Lyla could see the resemblance between Nick and Elle. It was as obvious as Elle's resemblance to Darling Diamond and that of Averil Lawton.

"Ok, wow!" Ms. Lane said coming in followed by Mr. Jeffries, Arthur and Hope.

"What is going on here?" Mr. Jeffries asked.

Hope gasped, "Look Elle! It's Darling Diamond! We meet her at last."

"I got to go…" Darling threw the pictures back on the floor with the rest of them and stood up.

"Why so fast, Coraline? Don't you have time to catch up with your dear friend Dylan? I hear she's been staying here for a while…" Ms. Lane said.

"What?" Louis asked Marshall.

Marshall shrugged his shoulders.

"Margene, what are you doing here?" Nick was able to change the subject when he saw his sister come in.

"How do you two know each other?" Mr. Jeffries asked Margene Boyer.

"She's my sister…" Nick answered annoyed, while grabbing his sister's arm. "What are you doing here?"

"Wow," Ms. Lane smiled. "It seems to me like there's a whole lot of explaining to do. And I for one, am very interested to hear it…"

"As are we, Ms. Lane."

They turned around to find a New York Child Services Representative and two police officers blocking their only available exit.

"As. Are. We."


	13. Chapter 13: Alienated

**Chapter 13: "**Alienated"

_**There was a knock on the door very early in the morning.**_ Both Lyla and Louis sat at the table in the same attitude they'd done so last night. They didn't need caffeine to stay awake as nothing could coax them to sleep last night anyways. But once the sun had come out they knew they needed some energy to tackle on the day ahead of them. It didn't matter that their energy was false. After the second knock at the door, neither could avoid it no longer. Louis went to answer unaware that behind him Evan and Arthur joined in. Lyla said her good mornings, when Mr. Jeffries came to view. It seemed as though his night was just as terrible.

"Come in," Louis said, less enthusiastic than so many other times before.

"Coffee?" Lyla offered while serving him a cup. She knew he would accept.

"I could barely sleep last night," Arthur voiced what neither one of the adults dare say. "What happened?" He asked, again being the bravest.

"I wouldn't know where to begin!" Richard chuckled. There was a hint of frustration and a lot of hopelessness to his expression. Louis invited him to sit down and then sat beside him. "Where would you like me to begin?"

Lyla looked at the boys. She wasn't sure if they should be listening in, but after last night's fiasco, they kind of deserved the explanation. "Elle. What happened to Elle?" She asked putting aside her worries, yet surprising everyone there.

"That's the root of the problem isn't it?" Arthur asked, sitting on the last empty chair at the table. Evan didn't mind standing.

"I would suppose so." Mr. Jeffries sighed, "It _is_ true that Ms. Coraline Richardson and Mr. Nick Agostino are her biological parents. But it is also true that New York Child Services became aware of her case and was interested and assigned it to Andrea."

"But her parents are alive and there…" Louis didn't understand. "Why would Child Services even be involved."

"A complaint was filed, by Elle herself. We're not quite sure how she discovered that they were her parents, because… they didn't know themselves."

"Ok. Now I'm confused." Lyla asked. "What exactly happened?"

"_That_ I don't really know. Mr. Agostino and Ms. Richardson, now Darling Diamond, signed the release once Elle was born—or so they thought. Apparently, Margene Boyer, reversed the process within the time period before giving up on the child was final and took her to Over the Rainbow where she was raised in secrecy from her parents, with the help of a fictional benefactor."

"Fictional?" Lyla asked.

"Yes. Margene was that benefactor through her lawyer, the fellow you met yesterday. What we don't know is how Elle found out about her parents. She's been after them ever since. That's how they found out of her existence, though they never tied Margene to be involved. I understand Mrs. Boyer and her brother are not in speaking terms right now."

"I told you she knew…" Evan reminded his father.

"Yes, you did. But I still don't understand," Louis said. "Why did Mrs. Boyer take the girl without telling her brother? How did Elle find out and got a hold of them? Why was she going to a different school?"

"Also, how does Dylan Snow fit in all this?" Lyla asked.

"Unfortunately, I know nothing else. Neither of them are speaking and I haven't talked to Dylan yet." He said, "I suppose Andrea will speak to her before I get to."

"And Hope?" Louis asked.

Mr. Jeffries sighed, "When Margene Boyer accused Ms. Lane of obstructing the law by having Elle stay with you when her case had been dropped by Child Services, Hope was removed from Ms. Lane's care. I'm not sure what's going to happen to her because I had been removed from it too."

"Why was that?" Arthur wailed, "She's the one who messed up! It's not fair Hope doesn't get your help either!"

"I'm too attached, the agency considers—and their right. Andrea must have told me so a thousand times but I never listened. Now we're off her case, but Andrea's license has been revoked."

"What now?" Lyla asked.

"I don't know. We've been alienated." He said and the room became silence.

Evan was angry. Elle had even managed to destroy Hope's life in her passing. He was glad he never had to see her again.

"_**Where's Dylan?"**_ Ms. Lane asked. She was back to her skirt-suits, dark sunglasses, tall leather boots and bright red lipstick.

"Upstairs," Marshall answered after letting her into his bar.

Marshall was back at square one. The business deal fell through and he had the same amount of debt on his shoulders. Last night everyone had lost a little. But his loss was so great, he decided to drown it in whiskey. There was no way he was spending the night with Dylan. In fact, he was getting tired of their constant fighting. He had hoped it would get better. As it didn't, he was glad her sister was here to fetch her.

"She's not up there…" Ms. Lane said coming down.

"Did you check the bathroom?" he asked.

"No. Why would I?" she asked removing her glasses and sitting her red bag on a bar stool.

"Sometimes she's in there for hours… throwing up or passed out…"

"Charming." Ms. Lane shook her head in disapproval of him and walked back upstairs.

Marshall was in no mood to handle her or anyone, when Louis showed up. Since the door was opened, Louis walked up to the bar where his brother was standing.

"You're not drinking at _this_ hour are you?" he asked.

"With the day _I'm_ having… I should be." He replied looking for something to drink.

"The day _you're_ having?" Louis chuckled. "The worst thing that happened to you was the canceled business deal."

"Oh, yeah? Well, that's enough bad shit for one night, but does it have to continue?" Marshall asked, "The Blonde Bitch is here."

"I heard that," Ms. Lane said coming down the stairs, "And let me say, it's not very original. But I guess I can't expect more from an Irish man who opened yet another Irish pub un New York…"

"Ms. Lane? What are you doing here?" Louis asked surprised.

"I came here looking for my sister, but she's not here."

"Why would she be here?" Louis asked her, but then turned to look at Marshall. His older brother defied him by gulping down his beer. "Elle was right? She's sleeping over?"

"She moved out of my apartment a couple of months ago. I thought I was the last to know, but it seems like I didn't even have that honor…" Ms. Lane said.

"Look, she needed a place to stay…"

"A hand to hold and a shoulder to cry on," Ms. Lane inserted making his statement her own. "Is that why you got her pregnant?"

"You what?" Louis asked alarmed. "I thought we've had enough surprises!"

"What?" Marshall exclaimed, "I have no idea what you're taking about! I've done no such thing!"

"This is unbelievable…" Louis crossed his arms on his chest and leaned back.

Marshall needed to serve himself something stronger. He filled up a shot glass with tequila and drank it. Then he filled it up again, walked out of the bar and met them by the tables, "Louis! Why should you believe her? We all know she's a bitch."

"It's true. I've heard worse, actually, but what do you say to this?" Ms. Lane showed them a home pregnancy test and drowned the stick in Marshall's drink.

The Connelly brothers just stared at it, disgusted and alarmed.

"Where is my sister?" she asked again.

"I… I… I… I don't… know." Marshall said, his stare fixed at the stick in his drink.

"Awesome."

"Look! We had an argument and she said that she was leaving forever! How was I supposed to know she meant it?" Marshall yelled at Ms. Lane. He hated her attitude, always acting so superior than them.

"Why is it that lesser intelligence quotient comes higher fertility?" Ms. Lane said grabbing her things.

"Well, we have to find her…" Louis intercepted.

"Find her? He's already done enough harm to her," Ms. Lane said. "_I'm_ going to find her and _I'm_ going to make sure she stays far away from him."

"I've done harm? What about you?" Marshall attacked her, "You've made her existence miserable trying to be all perfect and shit!"

"Oh, what do _you_ know about our lives?" Ms. Lane replied angrily. "Just stay away. I'm gonna find her if it's the last thing I do!"

The brothers watched as Ms. Lane exited the bar, with no doubt that she would do what she said she would.

"What are you going to do now?" Louis asked Marshall.

"Nothing." He said taking his drink and the stick and throwing the whole thing to the garbage.

"That's very mature…"

"Don't you talk about maturity with me, man!" Marshall answered furiously, "Own up to your mistakes and admit that most of this is _your_ fault. You brought that girl into this mess and she's managed to destroy every one of us."

"I _am_ owning up to it, but I don't think it's fair to blame a fourteen-year-old for things, that aren't even her problem! I'm worried about her and there is nothing I can do, but you…" Louis chuckled, "How can you be so cynical?"

"Cynical?" Marshall replied, "I'm being realistic here. I needed the money to clear some of my debt, I tried working things out with Dylan, but she was impossible to talk to…"

"She was pregnant!" Louis yelled, "She needed you and you acted like a pig!"

"I didn't even know and don't throw that at me—if you have any suppressed emotions for doing the same thing to Lyla, well, you got to get over it man, but don't blame me. Don't you dare blame me!"

Louis and Marshall stared angrily at each other. Nothing they could do could fix what was already done. Instead, they resolved to hurt one another.

"She's our real mother, Marshall."

"What? Did the moon tell you?" Marshall chuckled and had to watch his brother walked away.

Louis didn't plan to come back.

_**The doorbell rang and Arthur hurried to answer it. **_Mr. Jeffries was finally asleep and he didn't want to wake him.

"Hello, Arthur," Ms. Lane invited herself in. "Is Richard home?"

"What are you doing here?" Exactly two days ago, Arthur would have been thrilled at her visit. Also, he wouldn't have minded her coming in the way she did. But today, he did.

"I need to talk to him. Is he around?"

"He's asleep and I'm not going to wake him up," Arthur explained. "You should go."

"Arthur!" Andrea wailed. Arthur was already pushing her out the door. "What is the matter? I have a real emergency! Dylan is missing and I have to find her!"

"What so you can screw it all up like you did with Hope and Elle and even my dad?" Arthur yelled at her.

"Arthur…" Ms. Lane was surprised. "What happened was not my fault."

"Yes it was!" he insisted, "You became obsessed with Elle's case and got my dad involved and this was supposed to be my second chance! I wanted a second chance and I even thought I wanted you to be my mother but you couldn't even take care of Hope!"

"There are some things that you don't understand, Arthur…"

"Like what?" Arthur was defiant, "I understand perfectly that you let your mind run off with a case that wasn't even real. Elle has her parents! And you didn't want Hope, but she has nobody, she doesn't even have my dad now to help her. You only cared about yourself and your case and your stuff! You are selfish."

"I am not discussing this with you," Andrea said putting her coat, gloves and glasses back on. "Just tell your father I came by… or better yet, just tell him goodbye for me."

"Yeah, run! You're always running! Doesn't surprise me…"

"Good bye, Arthur." She said; her back to him while walking away.

_**Bridget disliked a quiet atmosphere. **_For her, this eerie silence meant trouble was stirring. The dog was too quiet, Crowley was too quiet, even Averil was too quiet looking for something up in the attic. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something going on. After making herself some tea and assuring her grandson was sleeping comfortably, she decided to go see what her daughter was after. However, the doorbell stopped her midway.

"Marshall!" the old woman was incredibly surprised to see him at her door. She smiled at him while he struggled to gather the things he had to say, "How are you? Is Louis with you?"

"I need scientific proof." He said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"A DNA test."

"Oh." Bridget hadn't foreseen his request. Maybe she should have, but he hadn't and she didn't think it was a pleasant surprise.

"I need a hair, blood sample, spit…"

"You want me to spit?" she asked alarmed.

"Mom—Marshall?" Averil was surprised to find him there. "What are you doing here?"

"He's requesting a DNA test." Bridget explained.

"Oh." Averil was surprised, too.

"Tomorrow too soon?" he asked them.

"Actually Boston Paternity on Penn Plaza might be open and it's not that long a drive. Take my car." Averil said handing him the keys. "Just have her home by dinner time."

This is not what Marshall expected, "What—just…"

"Weren't you in a hurry?" Averil asked, "I've heard their results are fast and if you do it now, it'll be even faster."

"Well, I guess I can do it if you still want to." Bridget announced, "But I've got one condition." Marshall chuckled. "I want you and your brother, both to come for Thanksgiving dinner with us."

"Fine!" Marshall said allowing his impulses take over. He waited at the door for Bridget to be ready, but insisted Averil he would take his own car.

Averil agreed and watched the leave, happy to get her mother out of the house. She knew where to find what she was looking for, but her mother wouldn't let her touch any of the papers in her father's den. Even from the grave she feared him. But Averil didn't. She never had. The attic had been a bust. Just a place filled with her mother's sentimental mementos and old keepsakes from the Lawton family. It hadn't hurt to look though Averil knew the kind of stuff she was looking for, the important stuff, her father usually kept in the locked drawer of his desk. Much like Marshall, Averil needed some proof of her own.

She knelt right in front of the drawer and began to pull. As she suspected the drawer wouldn't budge. Her mother had left everything untouched and the miserable old man, probably took the keys to hell with him. Averil needed to get that lock opened. She went to the kitchen to fetch a knife and then to the shed for the tool box. She had to open the drawer and she needed to open it before her mother returned home. Even with everything she had brought she couldn't get the damn thing to open. There just had to be a spare. She didn't have time to search so she called a locksmith. Had he not been a friend of the family Averil would have had to wait for another opportunity to present itself. As it was, the drawer had been opened and now she was afraid to look.

"_I can't back out now"_ she thought and started her examination of the documents. Nothing out of the ordinary: accounting books from his law firm, insurance forms and deeds and titles. Then there was hanging file at the back. It had the same things: accounting books from his firms, insurance forms and deeds and titles, only these were from Maine. Then again that wasn't surprising. She already knew he had another law firm in Maine. That's where he took most of his business trips and on occasion even allowed her and her mother to come along. It was just that one house deed completely under his name and a house she'd never known about or stayed at during their occasional visits.

There was not much else as proof, but there was a small address book. Averil was brave enough to make the first call and enquire if they knew about her father. The first person was quick to correct it and explained to her it was not Frederick _Lawton_ but rather Frederick _Richardson_. Person after person, it was always the same thing. There was tale after tale of the Richardson's anecdotes, words of encouragements for Coral's unexpected death and Frederick's luck to have found a good a woman as June to help him raise his daughter, the one to ultimately make her a star. Averil ended every conversation thanking them for their support, though they were unaware, she wasn't little Coraline, but rather Averil, Frederick's other daughter from his other family in his other life. The doorbell rang again waking her up from her state of shock at how this all was discovered. She walked to the door on auto pilot. Louis was standing there.

"Hey—are you ok?" he asked.

_**Evan watched her carefully.**_ His mother looked different. He wasn't sure he liked her short hair or the yellow shirt she wore today. It made her cheeks redden and her eyes sparkle, like if she wasn't completely here. His mother was somewhat absent. He didn't understand why she needed to take her mind off things and asked him to go with her to visit Lizzy. Apparently sometime last night she had her baby boy. First, she convinced him to go shopping for something for the baby, which Evan didn't especially like (it was boring) and now he waited for her in a small waiting area, all by himself.

He wondered if he was being forgotten. His dad left to be with Marshall and his mother was paying no attention to him today. Evan maybe he shouldn't keep so far away. Yes. Evan walked by Lizzy's room, somewhat scared of what he might find.

"Come on in Evan," Lizzy called. "There's nothing to be afraid off and you better get used to this because your mom could be next!"

"Lizzy!" Lyla blushed. She held Lizzy's little baby.

Evan could only see his head, but he could already tell, he didn't like him. He wasn't worried this little guy would steal his mom away, like Elle had accused him once, but he didn't appreciate that she had never looked at him like _that_. Maybe Elle was right and his mother—and his dad, for that matter, were forced to love him.

"Can we go now?" Evan asked.

"Don't you want to meet Andrew?" Lyla asked him.

"No. I don't. I wanna go now!"

Lyla was surprised by his reaction. This was not the son she thought she knew. "Here, Liz," she handed the baby back to his mom. "I'll call you later alright."

"Sure," Lizzy said, uninterested in Evan as her baby was placed in her arms. And then for sure Evan hated that he had been shortchanged of that experience with his mother.

"Evan, what is wrong?" Lyla asked as they walked out of the hospital.

"Nothing's wrong," he replied wiping away his tears. "You're just ignoring me."

"I'm not." She assured.

"You are too!" he accused. "You were all about the baby in there!"

Lyla chuckled, "Evan, we came her to visit the baby, of course it was all about him!"

"You used to talk about me and worry about me and dad too and now it's all about Elle or the baby or stupid Uncle Marshall…"

"Evan!" Lyla wanted to be angry but she was kind of amused. She hadn't thought about it, but it Evan had been the center of their universe for the last two years and now everything had shaken on him. It seemed he stressed about them as much as she stressed about him, but by now Lyla had learnt that life didn't stop for them and that people would always come in and out of their quiet little life, sometimes making a ruckus like it had happened recently with Elle. "You don't have to be jealous. You are the sole most important person in mine or Louis's life."

"That's not true…"

"Well, Evan, we have friends and family. There's Lizzy and now Andrew; Marshall and the new people in his and your father's life…"

"You didn't use to be like this! Why are you changing?" Evan was scared. He was scared of change, because he knew how one little thing could change their lives forever. One small choice, like his to set out to find them.

"I don't know. I didn't think I was…" Lyla took his hand and they sat at a bench by the double doors. "I'm sorry you've been feeling withdrawn. I know your dad and I have been distracted, but he was right you know. Elle needed our help and I needed Lizzy's help and Hope needs help and your dad and Marshall need help with all this new stuff going on around us."

"But things can change and they can change forever!"

"I know. And it's really scary—trust me, I know." Lyla sighed, "But there's really nothing we can do about it. Change just hits you. And this time it hit your dad first."

"What about us?" Evan asked, "I feel like we're not done yet. Everything still feels new."

"It does, doesn't it?" Lyla smiled. Evan took more after her than she ever imagined, "Well… I guess… we shouldn't tiptoe around each other. We've got to be blunt and speak our minds in order to be heard and for us to hear ourselves. Sometimes that's how you catch yourself acting silly."

"I want to spend more time with you. I want you and dad to get married. I want Hope to be alright and I want Arthur to start caring again," Evan was sad.

"He cares. But you can't remove from your surroundings. So Arthur likes sports, you like music. You have to support him, go to his games the same way he comes to your concerts. Making new friends doesn't mean you can't be friends with the others."

Evan didn't want to cry anymore, but he felt like crying. His friend Peter came to mind. He hadn't heard from him since and now Arthur was his best friend. He didn't want the same thing to happen with Hope, to whom he had avoided any conversation. Sometimes, Evan didn't know what to say or whether he should say anything; he didn't listen too good with his ears, but when he was around the people he loved, he felt he didn't need to. His heart was doing all the talking and filling his ears with the sweetest of melodies.

"I want to go see Hope." He said. She was still his angel and he wanted to be hers.

"Alright." Lyla smiled. "We'll talk to Mr. Jeffries. He'll tell us what to do."

_**The sound of her steps where just as intimidating. **_Andrea Lane knew exactly who she was and what she was. She didn't need Marshall to tell her or Arthur or anyone else. She just knew. She walked, head held high through the corridors of the agency as if the place was opened to her. It turns out it wasn't, but nobody dared get in her way. Ms. Lane entered her old boss's office, invited herself in and removed her winter outwear.

"What are you doing here, Andrea? Who let you in?" he asked.

"Does it matter? I'm in already." She sat down.

"Get the hell out," he said. "Don't make me press charges. This is a federal agency. Your cold beauty would rot in jail!"

"Melt, Jerry. Cold-melt." She corrected, "And you're not pressing any charges because I was right. There was something fishy with that case, there still is, but it's not the agency's problem, I know. I know." His boss had reminded her of the fact. "You got my license and continue to do your job, superbly, without my help—not that I could help, anyways."

"You should have been a detective. A lawyer, the FBI could have used someone like you," he explain. "We only get in trouble. And I don't want any trouble. I just want to do my job and you're not getting your license back. Protocol. Follow it and leave me alone."

"I don't want my license back. It's a favor you've done me taking it, you don't expect me to thank you now do you?"

"What's it going to take to get you out of my hair for good?"

"I want to see Hope." She said coolly. "I didn't get to say goodbye and if I have to start my life over—having no license and all—I should probably say goodbye to her."

"No."

"You could come with me if you'd like. Or send some of your fools to do it for you. I just want to say goodbye and make sure you _are_ doing your job and providing these kids good temporary and not so temporary homes."

"I am sorry, Andrea but you can't. And you know very well why. Now please, leave. Don't make this difficult."

"Because that's what I do?"

"Yes." Jerry looked straight into her eyes. As much faith as he had had on her work, she could she they only felt pity.

Andrea Lane couldn't stand pity. "Fine. I knew you wouldn't be able to help, after all. I didn't expect much from you."

"I, on the other hand, expected better, Ms. Lane," he sighed. "You know this girl is better off without you."

"_**I don't think I've complimented you on your makeover," **_Louis said to Lyla as they worked together on lunch. "You look amazing."

Lyla blushed, but continued slicing tomatoes. Compliments were something she wasn't really used to. Evan looked at them from the table. He had been pretending to work on his computer all the while he was angry that they didn't take him out to lunch. They still owed him the pictures at Belvedere.

"You just have to say thank you," Louis said to her before kissing her cheek and moving on to retrieve the plates.

"Thank you," she smiled. "But please don't change subjects. What is Marshall going to do now?"

"I don't think he knows." Louis explained, "You know him. He just can't seem to be bothered."

"Seems irresponsible of him to not talk to Dylan, at least!"

"If we can find her," he said. "I am sure Ms. Lane will, but whether she'll share that information with the rest of us…" Louis shrugged his shoulders.

"I just…" Lyla turned to look at him. "I mean, a woman knows when she's pregnant so she can tell how many children she's had, but you guys. Doesn't it make you think how many more you have out there?" Evan looked alarmed. Louis was shocked at Lyla's question and after seeing both their reactions she laughed, "I asked in general—men in general."

"I'm not going to add that to my regular train of thought, but while we're on subject," Louis said setting the table. "I went to see Bridget today, but met with Averil. She found out her father led a double life."

"What? Things are getting weirder. What is she going to do?"

"She's not sure." Louis sat at the table with Evan. Lunch would still be a while. "She doesn't want to hurt her mother any more than her father already left her. Besides, it's not like there's anything she can do about it."

"What a crazy thing to find out, especially the way she did," Lyla opinioned. "No wonder your sister looks so much like Elle." Lyla gasped becoming all too aware of what she'd said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call her your sister, I know you're not sure."

"You also know I think she is." Louis sighed, "Lyla, do you think this was all meant to happen. I mean, shortly after Elle comes to our lives all hell breaks loose!"

"Scary isn't it?" she sat down and ate an apple. "How do you think she's doing?"

"You mean Elle?" Louis asked and Lyla nodded. "I don't know. I'd like to think she'll be alright. She's a strong girl."

"She's fine," Evan joined in their conversation. "She's with her parents."

Lyla and Louis stared.

"Just because someone is with their parents doesn't mean they're ok, Evan." Lyla said, remembering her own relationship with her father.

Louis could have traveled down the same road in his memory with his, but he didn't want to. He had chosen, a long time ago, to be different.

"I'm just glad it's just us…" Evan said making his parents feel guilty. He didn't mean it, but they knew Evan had come to depend on the stability they'd experience in the past. But change was good and it wasn't just them anymore. Louis kept thinking about Bridget and Averil and Lyla about Lizzy and the make-over. Evidently, there was yet another truth when they looked at Evan, they didn't just see their boy, now they were also reminded of Elle.

The phone rang before they could say anything and Lyla picked it up. She'd say too much to Evan, it was Louis's turn to say something.

"Bud, it isn't just us anymore it's…"

"Hope? No." Lyla's tone alarmed them at the table.

"What happened?" Louis asked, but she was carefully listening at the person on the other end.

"What is it?" Evan was worried. He already felt his heart jump up to his throat.

"Ok. Please, call us…" Lyla said before hanging up.

"Lyla?" Louis called her.

"Hope's gone. They can't find her."


	14. Chapter 14: Breaking the Girl

**Chapter 14: **_"Breaking the Girl"_

_**Ms. Lane had never been so humiliated. **_As she packed, ready to leave forever, the police showed up at her door accusing her of kidnapping. She was mistreated and offended as she was thrown in a holding cell, waiting to take her declaration.

"Jerry," she smiled cynically when she saw him. "I should've known."

"Where's the girl?" he asked.

"What girl?"

"Andrea, do not toy with me! You do not know who you are dealing with!" he yelled.

"Don't you toy with _me_, Jerry Thompson!" she yelled back, "Because if the girl you are talking about is Hope and you've lost her and something happens to her on _your_ watch, the legal battle over libel and slander you can expect from me will be a romantic comedy next to what I would do for her."

"You didn't take her." Jerry wasn't asking and he wasn't playing along either. "Let her go." He knew her very well and could tell she wasn't lying. He could also tell, he was in trouble.

Ms. Lane hardly ever forgave and never forgot. She knew the order by which she was arrested had been a precipitation on Jerry's part and that a lawsuit for libel would surely progress. However, she didn't have time to think about that now. She was truly worried about Hope. The girl was barely significant at first, but her persistence gave way for Ms. Lane to get to know her and as result get to know herself. Andrea Lane knew she was manipulative and seemed cold blooded, but no one before Hope had dared to crush the wall she put up to protect herself and she doubted that anyone who came after would be as brave or wildly ignorant, let alone have such great results.

Andrea left the police station ignoring Jerry's request to talk to her. She knew what he'd say. He'd invite her to join the rescue team and maybe even do something about her revoked license. All to avoid her retaliation. Little did he know she didn't need all of that. She was after something better and while his offer would surely be tempting, Andrea had something better in mind. Getting in her car she tried phoning her sister one more time. She never left a message hoping Dylan would call her back and have at least one of the problems solved, but this time she just left a short message telling her what was going on. She knew Dylan was very fond of Hope too.

Driving to Richard's was really not such a good idea, but Ms. Lane had no other option. She had to face Arthur and admit his accusations were actually true. She was sorry he had so much illusion riding on her. The boy didn't deserve her either. With her mind made up that this was the last time, she made her way up the stairs and to the door, knocking instead of ringing the doorbell. This time Richard answered.

"I know you probably don't want to see me, but Hope is missing and there is nothing I can do." She said, "I need your help."

"Come on in Andrea," he said taking her coat for her. "Why wouldn't I want to see you? You're my oldest friend!"

Arthur came in surprised to find her in their kitchen and ashamed to have to face her so soon. Mr. Jeffries caught on to his reaction.

"Arthur? What's wrong?" he asked concerned.

"Nothing's wrong. Will you help me?" Ms. Lane asked feeling more uncomfortable than she ever did.

"Well, did you know where she went?"

"I wouldn't be here then, Richard."

"What's going on?" Arthur asked, relieved she didn't discover him in front of Mr. Jeffries.

"Hope is missing. I don't even know where she was or what happened to make her run away. That is not like her!"

Mr. Jeffries looked at his friend carefully. Andrea was really not herself. She was worried and scared and he didn't know this side to her. He figured she must have these sort of moments, but insecurity was not something Ms. Lane seemed to suffer from.

"I still have a couple of her files, why don't I go fetch them and we can start there?" Richard suggested.

"Ok, but we'll look in the car. I still remember some of the people we went to visit on the cupcake run and I'd like to think she's with one of them."

Richard nodded and headed off to his room. Arthur was left standing uncomfortably in front of Ms. Lane. He didn't know whether to apologize, because her glance was so intimidating it made him want to run into his room and never come out.

"Ms. Lane, I…"

"Listen up you little twerp," she said to him. "You were rude and disrespectful and had I been your mother I would have slapped the rebellious attitude right off of you… but nonetheless, you were right. You called me out on some things that people only dare say behind my back and I have to commend you for it."

Arthur smiled, "So we cool?"

"No. We ain't _cool_." Ms. Lane replied, "I suggest you stay away from me for a while unless you want to risk being slapped. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." He was about to leave, but turned back to her before Mr. Jeffries walked back in. "I still would really like for you to be my mother."

Arthur turned around to find Mr. Jeffries standing right behind him.

_**There was not much left of Sunday and Evan suspected Belvedere was out of the question. **_One more weekend he didn't get to go and he had class tomorrow. But it was always about someone else, someone different from him and though he didn't mind helping Hope, he was sure it wasn't all just about her. She and Elle were really good friends therefore she was no doubt involved. His father drove them to Reverend James's church. Sunday Service was over so there was really nobody there. When they were about to enter the nave, they found the Reverend closing the doors as he made his exit.

"Reverend?" Lyla called.

"Good heavens! What are you doing here?" He asked surprised.

"You don't know." Lyla said heartbroken, "She's not here…" She looked at Louis.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Hope's missing," Louis said. "We really thought she could be here with you."

"She's not here?" Evan was worried.

"No. I haven't seen her all day!" Reverend James's expression became scared, "She was with Ms. Lane yesterday. They came delivering cupcakes in the morning."

"A lot has happened since, Reverend, but the most important thing is to find Hope. Have you no idea where she could have gone?" Lyla asked.

Reverend James thought about it, "Though I'm tempted to believe she's at the house she shared with her grandmother, that wouldn't probably be accurate now. Have you contacted Ms. Lane?"

"She's no longer with her," Louis explained. "Ms. Lane's license was revoked and Hope removed from her care."

"Then all the more sense it makes that Hope would go looking for her!" the Reverend put the keys to the church in his pocket. "Come on. My house is just a block away. Why don't we get out of this cold weather and call Ms. Lane there?"

They agreed. As they started walking towards the car, Mr. Jeffries's pulled over at the curb. Ms. Lane was with him and Arthur.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked.

"Same as you." Louis answered.

"We thought Hope could be here." Evan said.

"You mean she's not?" Ms. Lane seemed anxious.

"No," Lyla was surprised by Ms. Lane's reaction. "Reverend James seems to think she could have gone to find you."

"Me?" She asked just as shocked as everyone else.

"Yes," Reverend James explained. "That time she skipped school to come see me, she said she wanted you to adopt her."

"Me?" Ms. Lane repeated her question. "Where on earth would she get the idea that I'm qualified?"

"She told me that she and Arthur had discussed it." Reverend James unintentionally revealed his plan.

Arthur's cheeks gained some color, though his eyes where open wide, petrified of Ms. Lane's reaction.

"Arthur?" Mr. Jeffries was the first to react.

"I swear to you kid! You're asking for it!" Ms. Lane added furiously.

"I didn't—we… I didn't tell her to run away. I just asked her to help me…"

"Help you what?" Ms. Lane was impatient.

"Help me figure out how to make you like Mr. Jeffries and marry him so that you would be my mom!"

"Unbelievable!" Ms. Lane exclaimed.

"Arthur, why would you say such a thing to her? She's just a little girl." Mr. Jeffries asked.

"I know, but—I just don't understand! You liked her once!" Arthur was frustrated. "Why can't you like her again?"

"That's was a long time ago, Arthur." Mr. Jeffries sighed, "Andrea and I are…"

"Just friends. Yes, I know. Because of Janine, but Janine's not here: _she_ is!" Arthur explained. "Besides, August did it! Why can't I?"

"Did what?" Louis asked surprised that Evan was in the mix.

"He brought his family together. Why can't I?" Arthur asked again and they were silent.

With all eyes on them, Evan, Lyla and Louis finally understood that they were the catalysts. They're case was not the norm, but it had empowered the kids around them to think that they were. It also finally hit Evan what Elle was trying to tell him about his situation being one of a kind. This made him want to protect it even more.

_**Another night of tossing and turning and bumping into Louis who did the same.**_ Lyla was desperate to do something about it. After Arthur's confession last evening she couldn't help but feel responsible. All that pressure and stress was making her sick to her stomach and the worst part was there was nothing she could do about it. Lyla found it kind of offensive that Monday rolled around as it always did, despite everything that had occured. There was nothing different about it as if the day itself was not considerate of the whirlwind that became her life in a matter of days.

First period was canceled today because faculty meeting. Lyla was expecting to hear Headmaster Braverman talk about Ms. Snow's absence as well as Mrs. Burns among any other situation that would surely be trivial had anyone known about her own. The meeting started with the announcement that the fall semester would have to add a few days in order for some courses to be finished. There were subtracting some classes from the program for next year and needed completion now. Also, they would add the few extra days they stayed behind towards an earlier summer vacation. The smell of Mr. Yamada's breakfast burrito behind her was making her dizzy. Had she ever wondered why she disliked them, the smell coming off of that one reminded her of it. She wanted to stay put until the meeting was over and excuse Ms. Snow. She didn't actually know if Dylan would show up, but she had to try and help her keep her job. She wouldn't let any other woman go through what she went through with Evan, let alone a potential nephew or niece.

Driven away by the smell of the History teacher's breakfast, Lyla just had to leave the room a minute. She needed some fresh air. She walked through the halls to the closest exit and though it was closed, the cool crisp air found its way through the cracks and she found she could breathe again. There was noise coming from her classroom, as she was quite close to it, but it was probably just Evan. Louis had to deal with some stuff and couldn't take him to school later. He had to come with her. She was walking to her classroom, almost at the door when she saw Ms. Snow coming out of hers.

"Dylan!" Lyla said and startled her. "You're here? How are you here? Ms. Lane is looking for you and I suspect Marshall will want to know where you are too!"

"No! You can't tell them!" she exclaimed.

"Why not? Dylan, are you really pregnant?"

"I'm… I don't want you to tell anyone you've seen me. The same goes to Evan, if any of you tell my sister or Marshall that I come to school I swear I'll leave for real and forever."

"Why didn't you?"

"I don't have a lot of money," she said with a sniff. "This isn't exactly a high paying job. I figured I could finish off the semester and leave during Christmas break."

"But you were named temporary art teacher," Lyla explained. "If you leave there's no way you'll become permanent and though the pay isn't wildly better, it's still better than what you have now. I bet permanency will come in handy, especially with you having a baby."

"Stop saying that ok?" Dylan said.

"Is it not true?"

"It's not really your problem. _I'll_ take care of it." Dylan started walking back to where the meeting was being held, when Lyla stopped her.

"You don't mean what I think you meant by that, did you?"

"I said what I said Lyla, not much thought or meaning to those words. It really isn't your problem."

Dylan entered the meeting room excusing herself with everybody, but Lyla couldn't bring herself to follow her. Now she was really sick.

"_**You know, Hope is missing because of you…"**_

"There's a war in the Middle East because of me and an angel dies every time I draw breath," Elle said writing a note. "So what else is new with you, Evan?"

"Don't you even care? This is all your fault!" Evan said taking the pen from her.

"How is it my fault, Evan? Tell me." Elle crossed her arms and waited for his answer.

"Ever since you came into my house you destroyed my family!"

"And what does that have to do with Hope?"

"You were mean and selfish and hid stuff from my parents."

"And Hope?"

"I don't know why I bother…" he threw the pen back at her.

She took it back, "I don't know either, Evan, but since we're on subject: I didn't mean to hurt you. My pickle was not with you or your parents or Hope or any of the other people I met. It was Nick and Diamond I was after."

"Your parents." Evan reminded her.

Elle scoffed, "Whatever." She continued writing her note. "I'm gone now anyways, so there's no reason for you to hold on to all that bitterness. Mommy and Daddy are all yours now. There's nothing standing in the way of bliss… as for Hope. I didn't know. I really am sorry."

"So you don't know where she is?" Evan asked, putting his guard down.

"No. I haven't seen her since Saturday." She folded the paper she was writing and placed in atop Lyla's desk.

"Do you know where she is?"

"You're really worried about her aren't you?" Elle smiled. "Hope's lucky that way. So many people care for her. I'm sorry I can't be of much help. I don't know where she is or where she could be. I've just escaped Alcatraz and trust me, I didn't even see the sun there!"

"What do you mean?" Evan didn't understand her.

"You know what Evan. You're a good kid… an idiot, but a good kid." She said climbing up the window, "You hear loads of crap, maybe it's up to you to find her—oh! And don't tell anyone I was here."

Evan watched her escape through the window. The school was coming alive as the bell was about to ring and the students started to arrive. His mother came into her classroom announcing that the meeting was over and he should go back to class. Evan took his stuff and left, for the very first time feeling guilty about not telling his mom about Elle and especially because he took her letter with him.

_**Averil was happy Louis said yes. **_She didn't want to come to this meeting alone. At first she didn't think Darling Diamond would see her. After all she was a busy celebrity with a lot to do. But when her manager said she would receive her, Averil could only guess she had as many questions as did she and it would be very hard to come to turns to it and accept it.

"Are you alright?" Louis asked her again.

"Yes," Averil hoped she sounded more convincingly.

They walked down the hotel corridor that led to the Presidential Suite. In front of her door stood a body guard and another man wearing a suit, who Averil assumed was Darling's manager.

"Hi. Mi names Averil Lawton and this is my brother Louis and we're here to see Ms. Diamond? I spoke with a Mr. Graham last night."

"I'm Peter Graham. Darling has a limited time so I suggest you be brief." He said holding the door open for them.

Louis followed Averil in. They found Darling Diamond sitting on the sofa wearing a black pantsuit that made her diamond necklace stand out. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, coincidentally Averil's hairstyle today. Their resemblance was outstanding.

"Please have a seat," said another woman as she caught them starting. "I'm Jenna Hammond, Ms. Diamond's publicist, and I'll be sitting in on your conversation."

"If you think that's necessary…" Averil said, but it sounded more like a question.

"I do." Mrs. Hammond assured. "Ms. Diamond doesn't have many skeletons in her closet but the latest ones are too big a threat to her career."

"You mean Elle?" Louis asked and Darling's head shot up. "Is that…"

"That is not really your concern." She said coolly.

"I guess not," he scoffed. "How is she doing, though?"

"She's well. Thank you for looking after her so diligently," Darling's attitude was very diplomatic. Louis thought it was all part of a show, "So, what is it you wish to talk to me about, Ms. Lawton."

Averil seemed confused. She had been discussing in the car with Louis how she was sure, Darling knew her wanting to see her was related to their father. Certainly, the celebrity couldn't be at a loss here, especially because she had seen and declared the man in the pictures her father, right in front of everyone else.

"Um, I'm here because I want to know more about our—Frederick—your father."

"He was a great man." She quickly said. "I've nothing else to say about him."

"He was a great man?" Averil asked. This was not the opinion she had about him.

"Yes. Always supported me and my dreams of becoming a singer. I owe everything I am to him and his wife, June. After my mom died she was very good in raising me like her own."

"June?" Averil remembered the name from her phone calls.

"Yes," Darling opened up a box and showed Averil a photograph. "This is them at their wedding."

"He married her too?" Averil was angry.

"Well, momma was dead, so…" Darling Diamond spoke very surely of her truth and history. She moved on to pictures of her mother Coral Klein-Richardson, pictures of their lives together and of course, her birth certificate. "It says Coraline, but I changed my name to Darla after daddy died."

"So are you Darla Richardson or Lawton?"

"Richardson of course!" Darling chuckled. She was sure she was wining this round.

Louis could tell Averil was breaking. She didn't have the best feelings for the man, but as this man transformed himself in her imagination, there was little of him left to treasure. Averil had discovered her father to be a heinous man, but this made all her guilt-ridden suspicions true.

"May I…" Averil asked browsing desperately through Darling's picture for the proof she needed to find. She took a headshot of a man, Louis was very anxious to meet.

He had a long white beard, no hair on his head and wore a suit and tie to hide his monstrous nature with civility. His eyes were dark and his stance insolent. Even in a picture like this, Averil's father imposed intimidation and fear as he seemed to declare himself chief.

"That's him. That's daddy…"

Averil watched Darling stare at the photograph of her father and felt envious of the man she got to know. Frederick Richardson was loving and supportive and even today his daughter's glance showed the respect, admiration and love she felt towards him. Being the same man, Frederick Lawton was cold, distant and temperamental. He didn't support Bridget when she finally told him about her son's and Averil had no respect or admiration for him as she saw him beat up his mother whenever he got the chance to seem superior.

"I know," Averil said to Darling. She opened her purse and revealed the same photograph. "That's my father too."

Darling became terrified. She took both pictures in her hand and compared. The only thing different was the inscription on the back. Averil's said: "_To little girl from her loving father"_, while Darling's read: "_To my darling star, love always, daddy."_

Louis felt for his half-sister. It seemed like their family had really no luck in happiness, and the thought made him miss Lyla and Evan.

"This isn't possible." Darling scoffed and returned Averil her picture. "This can't be. I refuse to believe this. My father was married to my mother and then to June. He never missed a birthday or Christmas…"

"He missed several birthdays and Christmases at _my_ house…"

Darling stood up, "That is not _my_ problem."

"I'm not saying it is." Averil stood along with her, "But have you ever considered that we might be related. We could be like sisters…"

"No." Darling said. "My father would never do that to June or me or my mother's memory."

"Maybe. But he would do it to mine…"

"Ms. Lawton," Mrs. Hammond intervened. "I appreciate this information. And I'm going to need you to sing a confidentiality contract …"

"A what? Why?" Averil chuckled. "Frederick is already rotting in hell, there should be a worry in the world!"

"You take your words back!" Darling snapped at her, "My father was a saint!"

"Well _my_ father was the devil and they are the same man! Why are we ignoring this?"

"I will _never_ accept this. In fact, I could very well sue you for saying those things about him!"

"No one is suing anyone, Darla." Mrs. Hammond said, "That would only make it worse. Ms. Lawton.."

"It's Mrs. Foreman actually…" Averil corrected.

"Ok. Ms. Richardson cannot admit to this both for emotional and professional reasons. Please, just sign our confidentiality agreement. It basically states that you won't say a word about this to the public or press or…"

"I'm not going to sign," Averil said. "You are definitely my father's daughter for acting this way and also for what you've done to Elle. I guess I found out what I wanted to know. And I won't say anything neither for you nor for that man's memory, but for my mother whose life he made a living hell. She doesn't deserve this."

"Alright. Now about the girl…" Mrs. Hammond quickly changed subjects, much to their surprise. "Will you stay quiet or will we need the agreement?"

Louis looked at Darling Diamond. She didn't really looked ashamed, but wasn't as cool as she was when they talked about Frederick. Averil looked at him strange. She never expected this to turn his way, but evidently Darling Diamond had a pickle with them both.

"What about Elle?" Louis asked.

"We'll need to keep this on the low." Mrs. Hammond explained. "Darling Diamond has a juvenile following and is also very popular among the parents. If they found out she was a teenage mother, her image would be in jeopardy."

"And like her father, it's all about the image, right?" Averil said. "Not about who you really are?"

"And how would you know?" Darling smiled at her.

"You abandoned Elle." Louis said carefully measuring the extent of his words. "At the very least you ignored her existence."

"I thought she'd been adopted," Darling replied. "Besides, it's not like she's defenseless or did you not know she's been blackmailing me and Nick for years?"

"How did she know it was you? Why did she even start to do that? Have you spoken to her?" Louis asked remembering Elle's hysterical crying in his car.

"What I've done or haven't done with my daughter is my business, sir, not yours…"

"Funny thing is, it kind of is. Because for the last two months I've been more a parent to her than you've ever been and it didn't cost me a dime out of my non-existent fortune…"

"Louis." Averil put a hand to his shoulder. "It's not worth it. I've dealt with an attitude like this before and trust me, it's really not worth it. I'm just sorry for the girl."

"Don't be." Darling Diamond said sitting back down.

"Are you willing to sign these, then?" Mrs. Hammond insisted.

"No." Louis answered, "Someone's got to watch out for Elle's wellbeing and apparently, it still has to be me."

_**Lyla hurried to Ms. Snow's classroom a good twenty minutes after Evan's group came into her classroom for their music lesson. **_Without Elle to make interruptions, the class worked pretty well. She hadn't had time to prepare this week's lesson, so instead she divided them in group and had them research the Baroque period, music, composers and instruments, to later have a group oral presentation. The assignment was a good way to introduce Evan to new friends—as she made sure he and Arthur where on different teams—and also, that should hold them off until she could have a serious talk with Dylan.

She was grabbing her stuff to go when Lyla entered her classroom and closed the door. Initially, she thought Dylan would resist her, but soon the temporary math teacher set her stuff down at her desk. Dylan crossed her arms and laid back against the wall ready for Lyla to preach her a sermon. After all, Ms. Snow was used to screwing up and having people preach away their life lessons.

"Are you really pregnant?" Lyla asked, but Dylan didn't answer. "Why won't you talk to me? I thought we were friends."

"I'm not exactly convinced we are—not that we could be."

"What do you mean?"

Dylan chuckled, "Really? You don't realize how transparent you are, Lyla. You don't like me! You never have or don't you think I noticed that you've been bugged by my presence her and my games with the kids and that I am Ms. Lane's sister."

"I can admit to some… history there, but I wouldn't say…"

"It's fine. You're not supposed to like everyone anyways."

"I do like you, Dylan. And if you ask me this seems a little juvenile! We're not acting any better than our students." Lyla scoffed. "I mean, why are you running away and cutting everyone out of your life like this?"

"For the same reason you clam up. Nobody likes to get hurt or think themselves the problem…"

Lyla stared. She wasn't sure what Ms. Snow was talking about. Dylan seemed pretty hurt and intent in hurting her too.

"It kind of seems like you're just complicating things," Lyla said. "Just talk to Ms. Lane. Talk to Marshall."

"And what?" Dylan asked her. "You don't understand."

"Not entirely, no, but I do know what it's like to be young, scared, alone and pregnant." Lyla said scared of the words as they escaped her mouth. "And you are more than courageous to take decisions and you know Marshall exactly…"

"See, that's been everyone's mistake thus far," Dylan interrupted. "I'm not you, Lyla. My situation is nothing like yours and it's not fair for you to analyze me through your personal experience. I mean, have you even come to terms with it? I don't want to be a statistic or an anecdote or a lesson for anyone else. I want to be me and do what's best for me."

"Yes, but do you know?" Lyla asked. "Do you know what's best for you? It doesn't seem like you're willing to find out or give it any consideration—you just want to act on the impulse of the situation and later have someone to blame."

"Who do you blame?"

Lyla thought about leaving the classroom and going back to her life, but something built up from inside of her and she just needed to answer. She needed someone to know, "I blame my father!"

Dylan didn't expect her to answer.

"It's his fault I couldn't meet Louis, it's his fault I had the accident and it's his fault I missed Evan for all the years I did! And the worst part of it all is I can't hate him. I can't and so I don't." Lyla sat on the first row seat. Dylan sat right beside her. "It would have been so different if he had just let me be."

"Maybe. Then again, you could have fought harder…" Dylan said immediately regretting it. "I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"No. You're right. I could have and should have, but I was scared. Which is why I feel qualified to help you. Don't do it. Just face them… it really is worth it in the end."

"Excuse me?" Evan said knocking on and opening the door to Ms. Snow's classroom. Neither woman felt their conversation was over, but they welcomed the interruption nonetheless. "The bell rang."

"Yeah. I'm coming." Lyla looked back at Dylan before following Evan outside.

"Why can't we tell anyone that Ms. Snow is here? Is something wrong?" Evan asked.

"No. But we're still not telling. Not even Louis. This is something she has to do herself." Lyla explained.

They gathered their stuff and left. Lyla wished she'd seen Mr. Jeffries, but Arthur was gone by the time she and Evan exited the school. The days were getting even colder which somehow heightened all the changes she felt herself going through. More than anything Lyla was just tired of fighting, especially against herself. Because Evan's detention was finally over, today he had to return to Juilliard. He hadn't missed out on much, but music was still too important for him to let go. Lyla didn't have class today and it was good thing because she hadn't prepared herself for this one either. She assumed this was her break to get current, to do something and not just overthink.

Still, her pages where blank and she really wanted to cry. Her life, past, recent and future fantasies replayed in her head regardless of her attempts on the contrary. Lyla felt a yearning and indescribable desire for a safe heaven or protection from herself and the hurtful memories that she was no longer sure really happened or she imagined. The sound from her cello broke her heart as she suspected the instrument had a better understanding of herself than she could.

"Hey…"

Lyla looked up. To her surprise Louis walked towards her. Then she really wanted to cry. It was shocking how much she missed him. His presence in the room completely moved her and her vulnerability was out in the open. She didn't want for much, but Lyla realized then how much she wanted him. He was not one to usually visit her at Juilliard so the fact that he was here made resistance null on her part as she met him halfway and came back to life in her embrace.

Louis felt Lyla was different, but he thought again thinking it was just him. The bubble was finally broken and they were exposed as individuals, as a couple and as a family. For some time it seemed like they were moving forward, but it wasn't until now that he realized they'd been standing still. Not in a stillness like the one he experimented having Lyla in his arms again, but a stillness that made them forget who they were. Louis found that he was simply a man who'd been waiting to sing his song to his lovely woman and somewhere along the line he had forgotten. They had simply forgotten.


	15. Chapter 15: Whatever's Missing

**Chapter 15: Whatever's Missing**

"_**She shook our very core." **_Lyla said, sitting on the floor in the back of her classroom holding Louis's hand. He sat right next to her, fingers crossed, head on the wall looking at the ceiling. They held on to each other tightly unsure of what should happen next.

"What would you think would have happened if you hadn't had the accident," Louis asked. "If Evan had been kept with you."

"I don't know." She sighed, "I knew I wanted to find you. I just don't know why I couldn't move. I wonder if having Evan would have made a difference."

"You didn't have much to go on to begin with, though," Louis said. It felt like they needed closure and he wondered if they'd ever really get it. "Maybe this was all meant to happen. I can't even remember life before, so…"

Lyla was silent. She lay her head on his shoulder and sighed, "It's all just a big test. Life is constantly testing you and I have a feeling I've barely made it through. Did you know that the one time in life where I felt like I could do something, be something—where I felt alive was when I was looking for Evan?"

"I might take offense to that," Louis smiled and she chuckled. They'd been together ever since finding him.

"You know what I meant. Though, there was also one other time…"

"Atop the roof top?" he smiled.

"Not exactly," Lyla smiled at the memory. "Afterwards. The day after I felt empowered. I don't know what changed. It seemed like it all changed in a matter of minutes and there was nothing I could do. I don't ever want to feel like that again."

"I guess your makeover wasn't just physical? And let me say you do look great…"

"Am I to suppose I didn't before?" She was surprised at how comfortable she was around Louis.

"Were we miserable?" Louis asked her. "I mean, when was the last time we held hands?"

"Or sat on the floor and just talked?" Lyla smiled. "I can't remember. We've been reacting."

Louis turned to look at her, "I love you, Lyla. I've always been in love with you and I don't want to lose this to every day routine or insecurities or challenges…"

"I'm sorry I've been stressing so much," she scoffed. "Who would have said that Elle would eventually break us?"

"Everyone expected her to. She really pushed us to a limit and I don't even think she was trying. It's like she woke us up." Louis explained.

"I wonder how she found out about her parents." Lyla asked.

Louis sighed, "I went to see Darling Diamond with Averil. It was really just a waste of our time."

"Did she say anything about Elle?"

"No. She also expects us all to keep it a secret. Apparently her existence threats her parents' career."

"Amazing." Lyla scoffed. "My life came to a complete halt after losing Evan and this woman barely cares. And what of Averil?"

"Her father was most definitely the most miserable man on earth," Louis explained. "But Darling Diamond doesn't see it that way. Though the secret was only discovered, I think that was the end to it. Averil doesn't want to hurt her mother by telling her the truth. And I guess it doesn't even matter if the man is dead."

Lyla looked at him, "Do you think she's your mother?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "I think she's the real thing. Averil told me Marshall got an official testing so we'll see."

"About Marshall, have you heard from him at all? He's been awfully quiet today." Lyla didn't know whether to tell him about Ms. Snow.

"No. He's… well, I don't think we'll be talking anytime soon."

"No Elle, no Hope, no Marshall… it's so strange now that it's back to just the three of us." Lyla said, "You know, after her makeover, Elle just wasn't herself either. She started crying hysterically and didn't pull away when I comforted her… I wonder if she knew."

"That they would take her away?" Louis thought about it, "I don't think so. I mean, she might have known about her parents' existence, but she couldn't have known that Mrs. Boyer was coming for her. That couldn't have been her plan."

"I would love to get to talk to her, ask about all this. I don't want to believe we're just pieces to her puzzle…"

"Lyla?" Nick Agostino made his way into the classroom and was about to head back when he found them sitting at the end. "I apologize. I didn't mean to interrupt."

The couple stood. "That's alright. What are you doing here?" Lyla was much too shocked to see him to remember she no longer liked him.

"I wanted to know if you'd still be interested in accompanying me in song? I know you signed a contract, but I don't want to forcefully hold you to it." Nick explained.

"Is this your way to keep her from revealing to the world you're father to a fourteen-year-old girl?" Louis asked. He'd had enough of these people.

"No. Because I'm not her father…" Nick leaned against the door frame and shrugged his shoulders.

Louis lost his patience and grabbed Nick by the neck of his shirt, "How can you be such a coward?"

"Coward?" Nick asked escaping Louis's grasp.

"What's going on?" Evan asked returning from his class.

"Nothing," Lyla said nervously. "Let's just go. Louis?"

"No. I want to know. How can he be so careless?" he insisted. "Elle is _your_ kid!"

"You want to—you wanna know what a father is, eh?" Nick asked.

"Oh, please do enlighten me!" Louis answered.

"Louis, let's just go. Forget about it..."

"You found out about him—what? Two, three years ago?" Nick pointed to Evan.

"What's your point?" Lyla asked worried what Nick would say in front of her son.

"You wanted him. You felt attached to him and if you didn't you felt responsible enough to develop an emotional bond to him. Is blood not thicker than water?" he chuckled. "Well, I've known Elle her whole life and I've no feelings for her. I wish her well, but I've not fallen for her…"

"That's cause you haven't met her…"

"See that's where you're wrong… um…"

"Louis."

"Louis," Nick continued. "I owned up to my mistakes. I married Cora—now Darling Diamond and we lived with Elle for three years after her birth. We just… we couldn't do it. She wasn't ours. We didn't want her and we couldn't take care of her. I would have given her up to adoption earlier, but Coraline just couldn't give her away. Then she realized we were no good for her and we sent my sister Margene to do it for us…"

"That sounds despicable…" Lyla added.

"Does it? Cause you are both very quick to assume the worst having not lived through it. Do you know how awful it feels to think of your kid like of any other child in the world? I don't mean it, but it happens with Elle. Cora and I just find that we don't love her. We wanted careers and she was just getting in our way so we gave her up for so that someone could love and provide for her in a way that we couldn't. How is that a crime, huh?"

"But you're having a baby with your wife—what will happen when the baby's born?" Lyla asked remembering their encounter weeks before.

"I don't know. So far I feel excited and that's a better emotion to feel than rejection." Nick said, "I'm not the big bad wolf. In any case, my sister is."

"Either way Elle is under _your_ care now," Louis said. "You shouldn't express yourself so freely and…"

"Truthful?" Nick interrupted. "You rather have my lie to her? I cannot do that. I mean, yeah, I'm stuck now because Coraline thinks this is her third chance and—third time's the charm, huh? I'll support Cora in everything she does, always."

"Seems like you have a special bond with her…" Louis observed.

"I do. She was my first love and we've been through a lot together even if our relationship didn't work out. Having a kid together doesn't necessarily lead to happily ever after. Even though I think she is wrong to do this and will only make the kid and herself miserable, I'll support her." Nick sighed, "So. Will you play with me, Lyla?"

"I don't know…" Lyla was confused. Nick was blunt, but honest. She wasn't sure why it hurt her so and yet she could so easily forgive him.

Evan absorbed everything. He'd been right to tell Elle nobody wanted her, but he wondered if she knew.

_**Ms. Lane paced the room and Mr. Jeffries reviewed the files, so it was up to Arthur to open the door. **_It was Reverend James just like they expected.

"And?" Ms. Lane asked him before he took off his coat and made himself comfortable.

"She's not around the neighborhood and hasn't been by the church today," he explained. "I didn't leave it for a second all day until now. It is also too dark for a child to be out wandering the streets by herself anyways."

"Does anyone know who the father is?" Mr. Jeffries asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because, Andy, she might be in his hands." Mr. Jeffries explained. "We only know this man to be a criminal, how do we know he doesn't have her?"

"Because he didn't know, Richard." Ms. Lane replied. "You said it yourself, we _just_ found out who he is and where he is not."

"What do you mean?" Reverend James asked her.

"We know he's no longer in jail… that's it. That's all we know about this man."

"Didn't he have one of those criminal locators' things? Can't someone track him down with it?" Arthur asked.

"The foot shackle!" Mr. Jeffries and Ms. Lane said in unison.

Suddenly Mr. Jeffries didn't feel so guilty at having discussed Andrea's case with Arthur. His idea could now lead them to Hope.

"I'll be on it first thing tomorrow morning!" Ms. Lane said.

"Thank God!" Reverend James put his hands together and smiled. "I have a meeting, but contact me as soon as you can."

"Of course…"

"But it'll have to be later than that Andy," Mr. Jeffries said. "Thompson has requested an audience with me and I have a meeting first thing tomorrow. I need you to take Arthur to school."

"Our agreement is over, Richard."

"But our friendship isn't Ms. Lane," he said. "Just take Arthur to school and then go to the correction facility, ok? Any other leads could be helpful, too."

"I guess that would be alright…" the Reverend said to himself.

"One minute could be a minute too late! No way! Uh-uh. You take him. Blow off Thompson. He doesn't know what he's doing anyways…"

"Andrea, I can't. Just—calm down ok?"

"I cannot calm down, Richard. I feel guilty enough as it is…" she sat down frustrated. Richard thought Andrea was going to cry. "You were right. Hope is special and I—being who I am—couldn't see it before, but I do now. And I'd be less inclined to be this anxious if it was Arthur or Elle…"

"Gee, thanks…" Arthur scoffed.

"What I mean is, you and Elle could find your way and get out of trouble wisely because you've experienced otherwise. But what about Hope?"

The three males stared at the lady before them. She really was different, broken. Hope had really pushed through and Ms. Lane didn't have the strengths enough to build the walls up again. Richard took pity of her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"This is not your fault, Andy. We'll find Hope… we just need to… have faith." He said looking at the Reverend.

Reverend James nodded. He then looked at Arthur, who despite it all, smiled at the picture. Then, he said a silent prayer for the boy's petition.

_**Evan was confused.**_ He sat on the sofa attempting to watch some television. Louis had invited him to play guitar along with him, but Evan didn't dare. He couldn't face his music with everything that built up inside of him. Lyla sat at the dining room table and though she should have been working on her lessons, she was staring absent-mindedly at a random point in the kitchen. Dinner had been quiet and awkward and this time Evan couldn't blame it on Elle. In fact he was thinking about her too. What had she done that her parents didn't love her? He just had to know. Evan knelt on his seat and looked at both his parents in the background. He had their attention, but for a moment he didn't know if he could speak.

"Why don't Elle parents want her?" he asked.

Neither of them expected the question to arise so soon, Louis didn't think it would come at all, but nonetheless, there was Evan asking. Lyla looked at him and Louis back at her. They didn't know, but after Nick's blunt confession they didn't feel like lying either.

"We don't know." Louis quickly said.

"Aren't parents supposed to love their kids?" he asked terminating all hope of the conversation being over.

"Yes." Louis answered.

"No, Louis… Evan, do you want the truth?" Lyla asked and he nodded. "No. I don't think so. I think it's something that we just assume should be and clearly, isn't always."

"I don't understand."

"I don't either," Louis scoffed. He was frustrated he couldn't answer Evan's question.

"I guess… parents don't really know what they're supposed to do and it affects the way they feel about their kids and how they love them. I mean, my dad thought he was doing the right thing keeping me from you-and while it all turned out for the best, I don't think he was right. Neither did him as he eventually gathered up the courage to tell me…" Lyla had never thought about it like this. Truth be told, Thomas Novachek could have taken the secret to the grave. The fact that he didn't showed that he cared about her enough to confess.

"Parents are regular people too, Evan." Louis finally said, "Some handle themselves better than others, but since you only get one pair you never know the wiser."

"Arthur does." Evan said, "That's why he wants Ms. Lane to be his mom. Hope too."

Lyla looked at Louis before answering back at Evan, "That's right. I guess."

"Did _you_ want me?" he finally asked what he really wanted to know. He hadn't known better. Evan had always blindly believed his parents wanted him. With all that had happened in his life lately, he found himself questioning it. And recently, he really needed to know.

"Of course we wanted you!" Lyla said going over to him to hug him. "I always wanted you. I thought of you every day and still find myself doing so."

"It seems you think more of Elle than you do me…" Evan said sadly.

"We've neglected you a little, me especially and I'm sorry," Louis said sitting by him. "I wanted you then and I want you now… but… it's not just about us, Evan. Remember that lady that came into the bar a few weeks ago?" Evan nodded. "I really think she's my mother. And if she is then Averil is my sister and her son is my nephew. And of course, there's Marshall! And if his mess is true then that would mean there's a baby coming into the family…"

"And don't forget our friends." Lyla added, "There's Richard and Arthur and Lizzy…"

"And Hope." Evan remembered to include her. "Do you think she'll be ok?"

Louis chuckled, "With Ms. Lane on the case, I'm sure she'll be just fine."

"And Elle?" Evan asked, much to his parents' surprised. He had never taken an interest in Elle before.

"Let's hope, she'll be ok too." Lyla kissed his head.

Evan held on to his mother like he always wanted to. He was usually too shy to, but today it was different. His guilt was mounting and he didn't know what he should do. The letter Elle had written, that one hidden in Evan's book bag, haunted him.

"_**Do you have a test?" Ms. Lane asked him on their way to school.**_

"No." Arthur answered.

"A quiz?"

"No."

"Special homework? Project due? Practice of some sort? Anything?"

"What's with all the questions?" Arthur asked annoyed.

"We're playing hookie…"

"I thought you wanted to slap me."

"I do," Ms. Lane smiled. "What? You didn't think we were going to Chuck E. Cheeses now did you?"

"Not anymore I don't…" he sunk in his seat.

"We're going to find out where Hope's father is." Arthur looked at her and smiled. "You didn't think your father could stop me, did you?"

"I… thought… never mind." Arthur smiled. He was pleased; the very things that he had called her out on, where the ones he liked the most. It was actually scary to see her cry like she had last night, even if he was happy to see her this morning.

"So, tell me Arthur," she said eating a Pop-Tart and handing him the other. "Why are you so obsessed with the idea of Richard and I that you had to pass it on to Hope?"

"I don't know. I just like you. You get things done and don't take any of my bullshit."

"Language!" Ms. Lane scoffed. "Ugh. Now I know why Richard doesn't want me near you!"

"I didn't get that word from you. Everyone says it. I'm going to high-school next year anyways…"

"Sheep. That's nice…"

Arthur picked up on her sarcasm, "What do you mean?"

"You want to be a sheep. A follower…"

"What's wrong with being a sheep?" Arthur questioned.

"You don't stand out. There's no originality…" Ms. Lane said. "It's like you're just another star in the sky."

"The stars are all different."

"Yet we don't know any better unless we take a closer look—or it stands out like the sun."

Arthur smiled. Yes. He definitely liked her. And he really hoped she'd be his mom.

_**Louis was surprised to find The Escape still closed. **_Marshall hadn't called him either, so that was strange in itself. He used his spare key and climbed the stairs to the apartment. His brother wasn't there either. He looked around a bit and wondered how Marshall could live in such filth. This wasn't entirely him. Most days Marshall had a good head on his shoulders. Louis couldn't just sit and wait and so he decided to visit Bridget and Averil. It was about time they settled their business once and for all. To his surprise, he found Marshall on the porch, unsure whether to knock on the door.

"What are you doing here?" Louis asked startling Marshall into a jump.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Marshall asked him.

"I came to see Bridget. Marshall, I think she's the real thing…"

Louis watched his brother. He exhaled sharply and sat himself on the porch's steps, "I… I know." Louis joined him. "How did this happen to us, Lou?"

"I don't know."

"Is there no sense of continuity in our lives?"

"What do you mean?" Louis asked him.

"Our mom dies and we start over. Our father dies and we start over again. We come here and we start over. Lyla happens and we start over. Evan happens and we start over, now _this_ happens and honestly, I just don't want to start over again. I'm tired."

"I don't think we have a choice." Louis said, "We're better though, stronger."

"Are we really?" Marshall asked. "Cause I feel like crap."

"Maybe that has more to do with Dylan, than it does with Bridget?" Louis asked but Marshall remained silent.

A taxicab stopped at the curb and Averil came out of it, "What are you two doing here?" The Connelly brothers shrugged their shoulders. They really didn't know. Averil paid the man and sat next to Louis, who was now in the middle. "What's going on?"

"Marshall got a girl pregnant." Louis snickered. He really found it funny.

"I did not!" Marshall scoffed.

"Oh, so it was a false positive?" Averil asked and seeing their lost expressions, explained: "Some home tests aren't really that accurate, hence, a false positive."

"Does that make you feel better?" Louis asked with a smile.

"I'm not sure," Marshall said looking at Averil. "How do I know?"

"You got to take your girl to a real doctor, run a real test—it seems like I am over explaining this? Weren't you the one who needed scientific proof we were related? Whoa—I just realized I went from being an only child to having siblings everywhere!"

"Everywhere?" Marshall asked.

"Darling Diamond is my half-sister." Averil sighed, "My father had a double life and though the one with my mother was the only one legal, it was the one he liked the least."

"You mean barely legal," Marshall scoffed. "Don't forget your mother was still married to our dad."

Louis shook his head, "What she did was also done to her…"

"Mom's not really a bad person, though. Your father might have even been dead when she married mine."

"I don't think so," Marshall smiled. "But it's not like it matters. Maybe our curse comes from our mother's side."

"Curse?" Averil asked Louis.

"Our lives have been everything but average…" Louis said.

"Why don't we talk about it inside?" Bridget said surprising the three of them. She had been listening by the window the whole time. After revealing herself, she opened the door to her house and stood beside it welcoming them, though the three of them stood and stared in disbelief. "I don't think it will fix your problems, but I've heard that talking to mom can at least help heal. I owe it to all of you, to at least try. Won't you come in?"

Averil knew this woman and recognized her as her mom. It was no surprised she entered the house first, not before hugging her mom long and hard. Marshall was hesitant as he looked for Louis's opinion. Louis wanted to have a problem, somewhat like them to share, but his problem wasn't really his. Elle was back with her parents. Marshall could afford to think about it no longer and he entered the house on the impulsiveness that made out his character. Louis didn't want to stay behind. He learned that the hard way with Evan and Lyla. So he joined them all inside. If these people didn't turn out to be family, at least they could be friends.

_**Arthur didn't like this place.**_ All the gates and fences and towers made him anxious, like he wanted to run. Ironic how this place made him experience real freedom. Arthur had escaped his mother and step-father's house and later Wizard, but even then, his escapes had nothing to do with freedom. Sitting inside this office, nice looking, calm, Arthur wanted to run out to his freedom. Arthur needed to feel free and the atmosphere of the place was asphyxiating. Ms. Lane put a hand on his shoulders asking him to relax. She regretted having brought him here, but there was no way she could know of the impression this could have on him.

"Arthur you need to try and relax," she said softly. "I know this place feels condemning, but it'll be fine. We'll be out soon enough, ok?" Ms. Lane could tell this wasn't really working. Arthur was a person of light and openness and this had definitely been a mistake. She sighed, "Come here…" Scared of it herself, Ms. Lane offered her hug and Arthur took it. It was easy to forget he was still just a kid and the realization moved her. Andrea was growing fond of her ruins, so she didn't like that Arthur threatened to tear down whatever was left of her walls.

"Ms. Lane," the Correction Officer re-entered his office with a folder on hand. "We were going to hand this information to a mister Jerry Thompson, later today. Did you say you work for him?"

"Uh…" Ms. Lane was tempted. "No. I'm actually here because I was fostering the little girl before Child Services took her away." But she didn't lie—not entirely. "I wanted to adopt her, but after the father was found, it became complicated."

She didn't know if the Officer would buy her lie, but it didn't seem like he cared. "In that case I cannot disclose the details."

"Well, then tell me in general: are you able to localize him and find my daughter?" Ms. Lane felt like she was being snowballed by her lies. Arthur's anxiety was only growing.

The Corrections Officer looked at her and then at Arthur. He held on to Ms. Lane's hand as a scared child to his mother. He then looked back at Ms. Lane. She seemed worried, but he didn't know if he could trust her. "Ma'am, I…"

"Yes or no question then! Can you track him?" she asked with a bit more urgency to her voice now.

"No." He answered.

Arthur and Ms. Lane looked at each other. "Why not?" Arthur asked, his voice shaking.

"Yes or no questions only…" the Correction Officer was willing to help.

"Doesn't his shackle work?" Ms. Lane asked.

"Yes." The Officer answered.

"Is he dead?"

"No."

"He's alive?"

"Yes."

"And you can't track him?" Ms. Lane was confused.

"No."

She looked at Arthur and then back at the officer. This game was getting ridiculous, but she had to play along in order to receive more information—as broken as it was. She replayed her questions and his answers all with the pressing matter of getting Arthur out of there soon.

"If you don't mind me saying, that is a beautiful bracelet." The Correction Officer said to Ms. Lane, slightly offending her. Flirting was not something she enjoyed, let alone with Arthur present. "It is exquisite. Is it yours?"

"Well, it was my mother's but… what are you trying to do, Officer Brant? I'll let you know that I am in a stable, long relationship with his father." Ms. Lane lied nervously. It was her worst lie yet and she though Arthur might faint for it.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Ma'am." Officer Brant said leaning closer to her, "I just would have never guessed it was your mother's for it is _you_ who is _wearing_ it…"

Ms. Lane stared at him. The Officer smiled. Arthur was no longer nervous. In fact he felt like he wanted to punch Office Brant for flirting with the woman he wanted for his father. Arthur watched him smile at her and nod, but Ms. Lane seemed confused. He was about ready to say something when Ms. Lane yelled: "He's not wearing it!"

Though Arthur was startled, Officer Brant leaned on his chair and smiled.

"He's not wearing it," Ms. Lane smiled. It was all a game and Arthur felt he wasn't winning. "Um… question, right, uh, he's not wearing his shackle and that's why you can't track him down, right?"

Officer Brant smiled at her, this time he was flirty. "Yes."

"I didn't think it was that easy to remove, how did you…"

"It's not an easy thing to remove without us knowing something is up, Ms. Lane," the Officer explained. "But sometimes these people find a way."

"And do what with them?" Ms. Lane chuckled. "I mean, it's not like they can sell it on the corner of Tiffany's or as if it was a Cartier…"

"You'd be surprised," he explained. "Some people destroy them, or leave them at their house—I mean, some even put them on their family pets so you can see them going out of the house, but of course, it's not really _them_."

Ms. Lane smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Officer Brant. Unfortunately, I don't think there is much I can do with this information. If _you_ haven't found him, I'm sure I won't be able to…"

"What?" Arthur was surprised. "But you can do anything!"

"I can't Arthur and I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"You can't just give up! Right Officer? Right?" Arthur asked desperately. He wasn't too sure he wanted to get to know Ms. Lane better.

Officer Brant sighed, "I don't want to discourage neither one of you, but… look, we'll keep trying and I'm sure Child Services will too. But I don't want to give you false expectations. Right now, we can't seem to trace him. He knows better than to return to where he's been. He knows we are looking. If the girl is in his possession we would have known and if we didn't…"

"There's a chance Hope is somewhere else, right?" Arthur asked. "Right?"

"Or that he's… done… something…" Officer Brant said, "I can only promise you, we'll do our best. Jesús Malavé might be astute, but he shouldn't underestimate us."

"Did you say Jesús?" Arthur asked shocked to hear the name. "Is he a tall, fat man, big nose and a huge gap in his teeth?"

"Yeah. How do you know?" Officer Brant asked.

"Arthur?" Ms. Lane's strength returned to her.

"I know exactly who he is and maybe… were to find him…" this time they could tell Arthur was scared. "That's Lil'Jesus…"

"Who?" Ms. Lane asked.

"The man who was living with my mom when I left and found Wizard."

_**Ms. Snow was feeling terrible.**_ She didn't want to admit it to herself, but maybe she really was pregnant and now she didn't know what to do. After Mrs. Henderson, the Headmaster's secretary, asked her to go to his office, Ms. Snow's stomach turned upside down. Even her saltine crackers sickened her, so she only took her ginger ale. It was a relief to know the six grade class had a ton of work. Though they would surely copy off of each other's answers, Ms. Snow exited her classroom. As she did so, she saw Ms. Novachek did the same.

"Where are you going? Don't you have the fifth graders?" Ms. Snow asked alarmed.

"Yes, but the Headmaster wants to see me…" Ms. Novachek explained. She pointed at the ginger ale and smiled, "You are…"

"Going to the Headmaster's office too," she finished Lyla's statement before Mrs. Henderson caught on.

"Come on, he wants to see both of you." Mrs. Henderson said leading the way to his office.

Dylan slowed her pace and grabbed Lyla's arm so she'd walk with her. "You didn't say anything to him did you?"

"What?" Lyla asked.

"About me. About my plans to leave or my sister or… _this_!" she waved the can up in the air.

Lyla scoffed, "No, Dylan."

"Promise?"

"Dylan! You're being ridiculous!" Lyla said picking up her pace. If she hadn't been willing to play Elle's childish games, she was sure not playing Dylan's. Lyla vowed to tell Louis about her this afternoon. Especially now that she knew Dylan was pregnant.

The teachers were asked to wait while Mrs. Henderson announced their arrival. Lyla sat, while Dylan paced the room. She finished her ginger ale and ignored yet another phone call from her sister. Lyla watched her. She looked at mess! The otherwise stylish, young, energetic math-art teacher looked haggard overnight. Lyla smiled. She had forgotten children did that to their mothers since before being born.

"You know," Lyla strated. "When I was pregnant with Evan, I couldn't keep anything down and I was just a mess…"

"Your point?" Dylan didn't like hits at her vanity.

"Someone told me to freeze Gatorade in ice trays and suck on those puppies whenever I felt sick. I hate the drink, but it was a good remedy…"

"The headmaster will see you know…" Ms. Henderson announced.

Lyla and Dylan stared at one another. They didn't know what they were in for, but it felt like trouble.

"How do I look? Is it that bad?" Ms. Snow finally asked her, but Lyla just smiled and dragged her along with her. However, both women stopped dead in their tracks when they found Darling Diamond, Margene Boyer and Mrs. Goldman all reunited in the Headmaster's office.

"What's going on?" Lyla asked. Her heart pounded fast and she felt like crying though they still hadn't spoken.

Headmaster Braverman sighed, "One of our students, Melody Austen is missing."

Though they suspected who it was, neither one of the teachers recognized the name right away.

"Elle. Elle is missing," Darling Diamond said in tears. "Do either of you know where she is?"

Ms. Snow looked at Ms. Novachek. Lyla was pale and quite unexpectedly fainted in Dylan's arms to the rhythm of the school bell.


	16. Chapter 16: It's been a Pleasure

**Chapter 16: "It's been a Pleasure…"**

_**The bell rang. **_After he told them a few places where he remembered Lil'Jesus liked to hang, Officer Brant had other policemen take him to school. Ms. Lane stayed with him because she wanted to hear their plan of action and go out looking for Hope. Even though it was his idea, Arthur was excluded and delivered to school.

"What happened?" Evan waited for him by the lockers after a classmate announced Arthur was brought to school in a police car. "We saw you come in through the window in Mr. Farley's class. Are you in trouble?"

"No, man!" Arthur was frustrated. "I finally figured out where Hope is, but Ms. Lane is going with the police instead. I know Lil'Jesus better than anyone there, Aug!"

Evan remembered the name. "Are they going to get her?"

"I think so, but man!" Arthur threw his back pack on the ground. "We should be doing something Evan! We have to help!"

"Boys?" Mr. Farley said coming out of his classroom. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Sorry, Mr. Farley…" Evan said.

He and Arthur started their walk towards music class. The halls were empty and silence as life only came from the classrooms they walked by. All, but Ms. Snow's. This was her professional hour, though they all knew instead of working she watched Mexican _telenovelas_ on her cellphone.

"Psssst."

Arthur and Evan stopped just before reaching Lyla's classroom. They could hear a mess coming from inside, thus they assumed Ms. Novachek wasn't in right now.

"Psssst!"

The sound came stronger until finally they discovered Elle, hiding out in Ms. Snow's classroom. Evan looked back to check if Mr. Farley was still looking at them, but the science teacher was back in his classroom. Arthur entered Ms. Snow's classroom first and then Evan, closing the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur asked her.

"I thought you were leaving…" Evan said.

"I am," Elle replied. "But then I thought about what you told me about Hope and it be easier for me to go knowing she was ok."

"Well, we don't know if she's ok!" Arthur explained, "We think she might be with Lil'Jesus, but Ms. Lane wouldn't let me tag along! I know him. I can help!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Elle asked, "Let's go find her."

"We can't! We'll get in trouble!" Evan reminded them.

"Aug, this is Hope we're talking about," Arthur said. "She needs us!"

Evan thought about it. It had been a long time since he felt anything and he was feeling something now. He thought the reason the moon stopped talking to him was because she was angry at him for abandoning Hope. It wasn't enough that he was angry at himself.

"Ok. But we need a plan…" Evan said.

"We can figure out one on the way," Elle opened the door. "It's not like we know how we're going to find her."

"But we will," Arthur said looking through the hallway. "Come on. Let's go."

"_**I don't know if I love her or if I just can't…" Marshall said much to his own surprise. **_He didn't want to talk at first allowing Averil to tell her mother about her father's secret life and then Louis to talk about Evan and Lyla, gradually moving to Elle; but he never imagined he'd feel so vulnerable while talking about Dylan. They'd had it good for a while, but with all their arguing, Marshall knew it would soon be over. Now she was gone and he didn't even know how to feel about it.

"So what's the problem?" Bridget asked Marshall.

"No, mom," Averil explained. "Marshall's girl just left. She doesn't want to be with him."

"That's not what I'm hearing." The woman insisted.

Marshall was no longer amused. He didn't want to keep this pointless conversation going as if he didn't know the end. This was the end. Bridget failed to understand each of their problems. Averil's with all her details and Louis's story with all its faults. She was no real help and it seemed like they were only running around in circles, wasting precious time, by telling her.

"Why don't we just forget about it and move on with our lives?" Marshall asked annoyed.

"Can you?" Bridget asked. At first they thought the question was directed only to Marshall, but as she stared at each of them, they realized she really was lost. "Can the three of you simply forget about your problems and move on with your lives?"

"Mom, it's like you haven't been listening," Averil sighed. "I never meant for you to find out about dad, but after you overheard, I have to come clean. There's really nothing we can do about it now, or Louis or Marshall with their problems. Something's can't be fixed. You told me that."

"I did, but that still doesn't answer my question," Bridget spoke. "Can you live with the answer that woman gave you, forget about it and move on? Can Louis forget about the little girl and move on? Or Marshall, could you simply accept the fact that there's a woman out there somewhere having your child and... just move on? I'm not telling you to fix it or even that it can be fixed. I am asking you if you can forget and move on, like Marshall suggested you do. Can you live with that? I know couldn't. Even though I left, I could never just move on. I tried to, but I often thought how different my life would have been if I hadn't tried to forget and move on. If I had done something, said something."

"That wouldn't solve anything," Louis said. "I mean it wouldn't _change_ anything. Your husband would still be dead, Dylan would still be missing and Elle's parents still wouldn't love her."

"Some things require closure which is why I am asking if this is the end? Have you done all you could do to be at peace with yourself later on in your lives?" she chuckled, "It's the voice of experience talking here. Are you not with me Louis?"

Louis looked at her confused. "I guess so?" he shrugged.

"Well you don't seem to sure having lived through it, or should Marshall punch your face again?" Bridget smiled.

"Maybe it should be the other way around…" Louis laughed. He remembered how liberating and unexpectedly reconciling Marshall's attack had been. The pursuit for Lyla started after that and his life had changed. "I get it."

Averil laughed, "All you need is twenty seconds of insane courage, right?"

"What is that? Is that from a movie—what?" Marshall was at a lost unaware to admit whether he understood, which he did, or if he was brave enough.

Bridget looked at the three of them. She had finally found them and her family was now complete. "Guys, I need you to promise me something," she sighed, "Promise me you will always be brave. I might not have a great legacy for you to build upon, but I would have for my fear to be passed on to you."

Marshall felt a shot of electricity run through his arm when Bridget put her hand over his. He might still need proof, but this was it. This was his mother. He would never tell Louis or anyone else about this, but every time she touched him, Marshall would get a flashback of him as a kid… with her. He too had missed her.

"I guess this wasn't a waste of time after all, huh, Marshall?" Louis smiled. It was refreshing to see Marshall open up to other people, even if he closed himself up right away.

"Oh, what do you know…" he said provoking Louis's and Arveril's laughter.

They were laughing so hard, Louis almost missed his cellphone ringing. Louis answered it regardless of his audience and how they could see his facial expression changing. Marshall quickly stood up, ready to take action should they need to and indeed they did. Louis had to hurry to the school and Marshall insisted he'd go with him. It was the first time since either one could remember that even though they left Bridget's home in a hurry, they left with a mother's blessing.

_**Lyla finally came to her senses, though she still looked pale. **_Dylan was relieved to see friend was alright. Lyla removed the wet napkin that Mrs. Goldman had advised Dylan put on her forehead.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You fainted," Dylan explained. "And don't you do it again, but... Elle is missing and here is Cora—I mean, Darling Diamond to tell us what happened."

Lyla sat up with Dylan's help. Her head was still spinning somewhat, but she wanted to know what had happened. However, it seemed like Darling Diamond couldn't bring herself to do it.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I just—I can't do this!" The blonde singer trembled in their presence.

"Elle was supposed to be at Over the Rainbow, but she escaped…"

"Again…" Lyla added to Margene's words.

"This time she didn't return. It's been two days and I… I don't know where she is or where she could have gone." Margene said.

"We were hoping you knew," Darling Diamond added.

"Is she not with you?" Mrs. Goldman asked Lyla.

"No." Lyla answered. "I haven't seen her since last Saturday."

"Where could she have gone?" Margene seemed to be more worried than Elle's mother.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but Mrs. Novachek's husband is outside…"

"Send him in. Thank you Mrs. Henderson," Headmaster Braverman said and shortly after the Connelly brothers entered his overcrowded office.

Louis hurried over to Lyla's side, while Marshall stood shockingly in front of Dylan, who inevitably couldn't hide away now.

"And also…"

"What is it Mrs. Henderson?" the Headmaster was annoyed.

"The police brought Arthur Jeffries to school, but now we can't find him…" she explained.

"What do you mean you can't find him?" the Headmaster didn't know how to deal with all the runaways in his school. "Is there a black whole our students are falling to?"

"He should be in my classroom," Lyla looked at her watch.

"He's not. And neither is Evan…" Mrs. Henderson bit her lip before allowing the police officers inside the office.

Lyla and Louis looked at one another and then at Marshall and Dylan.

"Do you think this has anything to do with Hope?" Dylan asked.

"Hope?" Darling Diamond asked.

"It's not possible," Lyla said. "Evan came to school with me."

"Elle disappeared Sunday afternoon." Margene said.

"Hope disappeared Sunday, too." Louis said, "Do you think they are together?"

"Is that something they'd do?" Lyla asked.

"They were very good roommates." Mrs. Goldman added.

"And they had lunch together and played together during recess…" Dylan observed. "But what would that have to do with Arthur?"

"Or Evan!" Marshall chuckled, "The kid hates her guts."

"Isn't there anyone we could call to find out?" Headmaster Braverman asked.

"Our commanding officer is with a Ms. Andrea Lane checking into the girl's disappearance."

"That's my sister!" Dylan quickly remembered her sister's called and checked her phone for unheard messages.

"We could call Mr. Jeffries." Louis suggested.

"Coraline, did you call Nick? Is Elle not with him?" Mrs. Goldman asked.

"No. And he should be here by now," Darling answered. "I called to ask him and he said he was on his way."

"On his way for what?" Louis asked offended, "Pacing the floor like the rest of us. I say we move out."

"And go where Louie?" Marshall was back to bursting his bubble. "You don't expect us to walk all over Manhattan or the whole of New York?!"

"No. But we can start around Hope's old neighborhood," Dylan said. "That's where Andrea tells me they're going to find Hope."

_**Evan, Arthur and Elle had been to a couple of places and had yet to find Hope. **_Arthur was beginning to question his memories of all the places his mother used to take him when she needed to find Lil'Jesus. Evan thought the places they visited where scary, though not as much as the empty warehouse Wizard had taken him some time ago.

"Stop!" Elle yelled at them from behind. "This is ridiculous! We're not getting anywhere!"

"We'll find her! I promise!" Arthur insisted.

"Do you even know where we're going? In case you haven't noticed we look like three preppy rich kids walking through the hood. We could get hurt here!"

"I thought you didn't care about that…" Arthur said.

"Ugh!" Elle was frustrated, "I don't care for _me_ Arthur, I care for you and Evan. If something happened to you on this journey this would all be my fault and your dad and Lyla and Louis would hate me forever!"

"So this is about _you_ then?" Evan scoffed.

"No it's not about _me_, Evan, it's about them!" Elle said crossing her arms on her chest. "I give. I say we turn back and let other people handle it."

Arthur was mad, "I don't understand you! First you don't care and now you do? We don't have time for that! We have to find Hope."

"If we get hurt or are killed _then_ what good are we?" Elle insisted.

"Would you two just stop it?" Evan said, "Nothing's going to happen. We've been in the streets before, right?"

"As usual you fail to see the bigger picture Evan! That means nothing if we don't know where Hope is… Evan?" Elle scoffed. She might as well been speaking a whole different language because Evan wasn't paying attention anyways.

"What's that?" he asked and they were all silent.

In the distance they could make out a rhythmic bass or drumming—a boom, boom, boom in the quiet of the usually busy mid-afternoon. Evan followed the music with Arthur and Elle close behind. They got to the corner of a Latin market and saw a group of people meeting around a car. The car doors opened up high instead of sideways, and that's where the music was coming from. They watched from the corner. Neither one of them wanted to admit it, but they were scared. The group of people didn't look menacing exactly, but it was intimidating to see. After a short while the car's owner jumped in and drove away, dissipating the crowd.

"There! That's him!" Arthur signaled Lil'Jesus out to his friends.

"I didn't know 'Candy Men' shopped at The GAP…" Elle said seeing the man Arthur pointed out wearing a black hooded jacket with the store's inscription.

"Who?" Evan asked.

"They don't…" Arthur said. "Must be some sort of disguise."

"Brilliant! Who would think anyone with the words GAP on their clothes would be… well… him?" Elle snickered nervously. "Well… actually, now that I think about it…"

"You're weird." Evan said to her.

"Come on, let's follow him." Arthur ordered. "But not together. I'll go first and then you guys follow. If we split up we…"

"Go get help." Evan suggested and the group nodded.

"I'll go after Evan, that way I can keep an eye on you both…" Elle said decidedly.

"Who'll keep an eye on you?" Arthur asked.

"Shut up! You're gonna lose him. Just go! Go!" Elle ordered and watched as Arthur walked away after the man. Evan prayed and after a while, took a deep breath and followed.

He had never done anything like this before! Evan's mind played tricks on him as images of the raid and those of Wizard having kidnapped him made it hard for him to concentrate. The sounds of the streets became evident and so sharp he could not only hear but feel those sounds around him. The boom, boom bass of a distant car, rev-rev-revving of a motorcycle, the tap-tap-taping of a coin against the telephone as a man talked inside the booth, the beat-beat-beating an old lady gave to her carpet hanging over her balcony, the stomp- stomp- stomping of some girls playing Double Dutch on the sidewalk right underneath the woman and then that melody… that sweet, cry for him, that music building up from inside of him. A soft warm breezed caressed his face and the smell of lavender enveloped every one of his senses. Evan didn't know how long they'd been running, but he had to stop. It had been a long time since he felt anything like this.

In front of him, Arthur was missing. Behind him Elle had stopped right in the middle of the streets. She was looking up to the sun, unmoving like a statute. Suddenly, all the noises stopped as fear that the produce truck getting closer would hit Elle who had stopped in her tracks. Evan screamed her name, yelled at her, called her attention, but she was enthralled. Something had a hold of her and she couldn't move. Unfortunately for her, neither could Evan. He didn't know what to do. This was all a matter of seconds, passing by as slow as his reaction to it. In his head he was screaming her name, but Evan couldn't hear a sound coming from him. Only the sound of his heart pounding fast invaded his senses and for a moment, it was all he could see. With his mind in blank and out of his senses, Evan ran to her, took her hand and pulled her to his side of the sidewalk. The truck passed by them unapologetically unaware of what he put them through. Evan and Elle stared, neither one able to say a word.

"What are you guys doing?" Arthur asked. He had come back to get them after he realized they were no longer behind him.

Evan and Elle followed him in silence. What had just happened was their secret to share.

"They went in there…" Arthur signaled to the apartment building by the alley they used as their hiding spot. "Hope's got to be in there somewhere."

"Which apartment though?" Elle spoke. "How do we know? How do we begin to search?"

"I don't think we should be here…" Evan said looking around. "There is nowhere for us to hide."

"See there?" Arthur pointed to the fire escape. "We can climb it and look into the windows looking out for Hope."

"It might take a while," Elle observed. "The fire escape looks only to one side of the building. Even if Hope was in there, that doesn't mean we'll necessarily see her."

"Have faith…" Evan said.

"We need a plan too." Arthur said. We need someone to climb up and see if Hope is in there. Then go inside and bring her with us…"

"I'll do it." Elle volunteer, "Not only because I've climbed through rusted old fire escapes before, but because if anyone finds me they won't be threatened by a little girl."

"It's a good thing they don't know you then…" Arthur was smug.

Elle scoffed, "Here, hold this." She handed them her messenger bag and started climbing. She was glad she was back to wearing her boots, otherwise her steps would be too noisy. She didn't know which side of town they were on exactly, but she didn't like it. The building was as old as these stairs and the higher she went the more buildings like it she saw. Not one of them was in good enough condition and she was suddenly afraid they had gotten themselves in too deep. Elle didn't like freezing up or giving up like she had done a couple of times since their journey. She had already dared to so much, how could she not find the strength inside her to help her only friend? She looked down. The boys were looking up at her, their expressions terrified. This mission was bigger than them. Elle took a deep breath and whispered to herself:

"_Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,  
>Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?"1<em>

She looked at the first window she saw open. There was an old black man reading the newspaper and listening to the radio while petting a small dog. The furry mut barked when he saw her at the window, so she had to hide. Elle was only on the second floor of four stories.

"_Do you ever feel, feel so paper-thin  
>Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?"<em>

With another deep breath Elle decided to go all the way up and progressively worked her way down.

"_Do you ever feel already buried deep?  
>Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing"<em>

The fourth floor was just a green house. There were two little girls in rags chasing butterflies. A woman sat by the entrance sewing away from a basket full of clothes. Elle's heart ached. This non-traditional family who apparently had nothing, really did have more than she.

"_Do you know that there's still a chance for you?_

The third floor window had a curtain. It was so old you could see through, but so dirty you could barely make out what you saw. There was a cat purring by the door. It would had meant nothing if the critter didn't seem so nervous. The cream colored fur ball walked back and forth, but Elle couldn't see where it was going. She looked at her side of the building and realized there was a smaller, more narrow window to the side. It was opened and had no curtains. She took a deep breath, stepped on the ledge and walked sideways in the direction of that one window.

"_'Cause there's a spark in you,  
>You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine…"<em>

The kitten followed her. After reaching the window, she had to stand on her tiptoes to look inside. She so afraid of falling, she hung on to the window sill so tight she felt her hands hurting. Elle looked around quickly thinking maybe the cat tried to alert her of something, but after closer inspection, Elle concluded the kitten was just scared. She was about to make her way back to the fire escape when a thought popped up in her mind: _"Scared of what?" _Elle returned to the window. The animal was gone, but she could still hear it meowing. She tried to peek in as much as she could until she saw a pink rain boot.

Elle hurried back to the fire escape. She placed her hands on the window sill and realized it was ajar. The window was jammed and probably didn't close all the way through. Hoping it wouldn't creak. Elle pushed it open, looked, peeked inside and saw Hope lying on the floor through the crack of the bathroom door which was open. "Oh, my God, Hope!" Elle became desperate. She needed to reach her friend, but the window was actually pretty high up. The fire escape was so old that it had bended and wasn't very near to wear it originally stood. She could no doubt jump in, but she would never make it back out, especially with Hope being fainted. Elle hurried back down to the boys astonished by her own discovery.

"She's here! Third floor, but the window's higher and she's all the way in a bathroom over there where that little window is at," Elle explained. "Hope is fainted. Even if I was strong enough to drag her to the window by the escape, I wouldn't reach high enough to get out of there."

"Then Evan will have to do it." Arthur had somehow become their leader.

"Me?"

"You are the only one of us tall enough to do it." Arthur said.

Evan looked at the three of them. He hadn't really notices his growth spurt, as Arthur was close behind. However, it seemed like in the last couple of weeks, he'd gotten taller than Elle. Evan didn't remember being this tall the time they fought at recess. "How would I know what to do?" he asked, afraid but willing.

"I left the window open. You'll jump in, grab Hope and pass her on to Arthur who'll be waiting by the window on the fire escape. That way the two of you can carry her down while I find help."

"Not so fast, Elle!" Arthur said. "It's better if you help Evan with Hope."

"But I don't think I'll be strong enough to help carry her down the fire escape!"

"Evan, you're a guy. Do you think you can do it yourself?" Arthur asked.

"Well, what will _you_ be doing?" Evan asked suspicious.

"_I'll_ be going out for help," Arthur explained. "I came in a police car saw them using the radio. Ms. Lane is in a Police car too, that would be the fastest way to get help."

"And you'll just walk to a police car and the officer will let you speak on the phone?" Elle was skeptical.

"Yes. The school must have realized we're missing by now, so someone had to had told Ms. Lane and Officer Brant. They'll be on the watch for me or Evan. Also, after I helped with Evan's case and got adopted, I know what to say—you have a very short temper and a history of lying…"

Elle wanted to be offended, but brushed it off. He was right. "Ok, but if it doesn't work, if the cops won't let you get off that easily, then you have to do this: spit in their face and run back here. That'll get them worked up and want to follow you."

"Won't that make things worse?" Evan asked.

"Not if Arthur's the real cool guy he thinks he is…" Elle challenged.

"Fine!" Arthur was ready to put their plan in motion. "Anything any of you want to say?"

Evan shook his head, but Elle spoke: "It's been a true pleasure, gentlemen. Now let's do this!"

1 Songwriters: WILHELM, SANDY / ERIKSEN, MIKKEL / HERMANSEN, TOR / PERRY, KATY / DEAN, ESTER. © EMI Music Publishing, Ultra Tunes, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc..


	17. Chapter 17: A Song for Icarus

**Ftm 17: "A Song for Icarus"**

_**Arthur waited until Evan and Elle started climbing before running off to find a cop.**_

"Watch your step, Evan! Geez!"

"I _am_ watching! Stop telling me…" Evan found it annoyingthat Elle wanted to look out for him. A few hours with her and his opinion of her began to change; something he didn't want happening. He looked into the second floor window. There was an old man asleep on a chair while his dog ate from the plate at the table.

"Yes. Stop and watch. Good use of our time…" Elle said to him and he started moving again.

There was no way she was letting Evan out of her sight in this. She might not especially like _him_ but his parents were pretty cool and he was their most precious possession. Right now, Evan was _her_ most precious possession as she needed him to succeed with rescuing Hope. When they got to the third floor window, Elle stopped him from going inside without her looking out for anyone first. The place was quiet and the kitten didn't seem any less distressed, though it continued meowing.

"I'll hold your hands while you go down that way we'll make sure you can reach up to me and be able to escape." Elle ordered and Evan didn't oppose. The minute Elle held his hands a shot of electricity ran through them causing them to let go and fall. Evan fell inside the apartment while Elle's fall caused the fire escape's iron to bend lightly downward and she scrapped her hand avoiding a potential fall.

"Elle? Are you ok?" Evan asked lifting up to the window.

"I'm fine," Elle said hiding her wound. She was glad Evan could lift himself up enough for her to help him up later, especially since the floor beneath her was giving out. She just hoped they had enough time to finish their mission.

Evan held his wrist with his other hand. He didn't want to tell Elle, but he thought it was sprained after the fall. It wasn't broken because he remembered his father telling him how much broken hurt that time he broke his foot. Evan's wrist didn't really hurt, so it wasn't broken.

"Do you see her?" Elle asked.

He walked through the door where the kitten was standing and saw Hope lying on the floor. "I see her," he said a little too loud, the thought. However, they both looked around and found nothing had been disturbed. Evan opened the faucet. He had to let the water run first given its golden color. As soon as it cleared he sank his hands in and sprinkled water on Hope willing her to wake up. "Wake up, Hope. We're here to help you." But it was all for naught. Hope wasn't waking up.

Evan tried to lift her, but he found he wasn't strong enough due to the sprain. He crouched down, locked his arms underneath Hope's armpits and dragged her into the other room. The kitten ran between Evan's legs causing him to stumble. Despite it all he made it to the window and did his best to lift Hope up to Elle.

"_**So what's the plan?" **_ Margene Boyer asked Mr. Jeffries who came to school as soon as Louis contacted him. They had abandoned the Headmaster's office as they became a crowd.

"I suggest we put people in places the kids would think to go," Mr. Jeffries suggested.

"_That's_ your plan?" Margene asked skeptical.

"Honestly, Andrea always comes up with them, but it doesn't take a mastermind to figure out, we need to find Andrea. She's the one with the leads." Mr. Jeffries said.

"That's good, though…" Dylan agreed. "The Headmaster and Mrs. Henderson are here at school. I can drive by the houses, Marshall can wait at the club, Vangie and Margene could wait at Over the Rainbow…"

"I'm not waiting anywhere!" Margene said, "Mom should go, but Coraline and I will go with you."

"Shouldn't we wait for Nick?" Coraline asked unsure.

"And what will _he_ do?" Louis looked at her. He didn't think Coraline liked their plan any more than he liked her question.

"The Escape is closer to Louis's apartment. I could swing by over there to see if Evan's there…"

"Here, have my keys. You might want to wait for him there, at least for a while…"

It was the first time Marshall and Lyla were willing to work with each other.

"If Marshall goes to your apartment and I to my sister's and Richard's, who'll be at The Escape? It doesn't make sense. There's already too few of us." Dylan said.

"Should we call the Reverend?" Lyla asked. Reverend James knew a lot about Hope, was worried and always willing to help.

"It couldn't hurt," Mr. Jeffries said. "He's been to my house before. He could wait there and leave someone commissioned at the church. Yes. Call him."

"Still doesn't answer my question," Dylan said. "I suppose now you'll want me to wait in Andy's, but who'll wait at The Escape?"

"Averil…" Marshall's suggestion was unexpected, even to him. "We can call Averil. She won't mind helping out."

"Thanks Marshall," Louis put a hand to his brother's shoulders. "Lyla, I'll call Reverend James, you call Juilliard. That's another place Evan might go to."

"Good idea," Mr. Jeffries said. "Let's all head out. I'll keep trying to reach Andrea. I don't know why I can't get a hold of her."

"We can contact them through TETRA in the car," One of the two police officers offered. "I understand the lady is with Officer Brant and looking for the little girl. In that case, it'll be faster to locate them by radio." The officers hadn't left. They had been charged with explaining the situation to the Headmaster and had been waiting obediently for their turn.

"So we're all clear?" Mr. Jeffries asked.

Lyla was feeling lightheaded. Evan could be in danger again. Arthur could be in danger. Elle could be in danger. Hope could be in danger. She buried her face in Louis's chest unable to contain her worry any longer. Louis gently stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "It'll be fine." He said and she took for a promise.

Margene and Darling Diamond hitched a ride with Mr. Jeffries, while Lyla and Louis decided to accompany the officers in their car. Dylan left on hers, carefully watched by Marshall who took Louis's. Darling Diamond's chauffer drove Mrs. Goldman to Over the Rainbows and the Headmaster asked Mrs. Henderson to alert the guards. The last school bell rung as they scattered.

_**Elle's cut was deeper that she thought. **_With very little effort at force, it started gushing.

"She's bleeding!" Evan said alarmed.

"It's not her," Elle warned him. "It's me, but it's nothing. Just push her higher."

It was lucky that Hope was still rather small. He was able to lift her regardless of his wrist and a new strain to his shoulder. Elle put Hope between her legs, head resting on her chest, in order to help Evan up again. Their first attempt was futile.

"Ow!"

"What?"

"I sprained my hand and you're holding it too tight!" Evan wailed.

"Well, how do you think that pressure feels on my bloody hand? Don't be such a baby!" Elle replied.

Elle grabbed Evan's sprained hand with her good hand as he made the effort to climb back up holding on to the window sill with the other. However, that other hand was where his shoulder was hurt and Evan fell back down.

"I sprained my shoulder carrying Hope. I can't climb up." Evan told her.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Elle said struggling to keep Hope from slipping from her grasp. "Come on, we have to try again!" The desperation to her voice started to scare Evan. "Just, use your feet and hold on to my back. I'll push you upwards."

Evan put his arm with the sprain hand around Elle's neck and she pressed her hand against his back in order to support him. Evan could feel Elle's blood trickle down his spine, but chose to ignore it. With his good hand he held on to the window sill and used his feet to rappel upwards in his most difficult climb.

"Come on Evan…" Elle groaned with the effort of helping him up. She could feel him shaking at the amount of strength he had to use and was afraid of him falling back down. "I got you. I'm not letting go."

Elle knew it didn't mean anything. In reality she was feeling her wounded hand give out. Then again, Evan could feel it too, so he summoned all his strength and finally joined her on the fire escape. There out of danger and with Hope completely unaware of their rescue, the teenagers hugged. Mission accomplished.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

Evan and Elle were frightened by the yelling. Lil'Jesus and some other man interrupted their escape.

"Let's take care of this Falcon…" Lil'Jesus ordered.

"Run!" Elle yelled at Evan, but he didn't move. He didn't know what to do. "Evan, move, you got to go, you got to go now."

Lil'Jesus had gone to the other room and found a chair to climb on. Elle and Evan dragged Hope to the other side of the iron floor, though there was no staircase on that side.

"I can't… I'm hurt…"

"Take Hope. Carry her on your back like you do Lyla's cello," Elle ordered. "I'll stall the fatty!"

"What about Arthur?" Evan asked struggling to support Hope's weight with his back.

"Oh…" Lil'Jesus peeked from the window, crawling his way to them. "So, you are Arthur's friends. I can't wait to see him."

"Neither." Elle stepped on his right hand. "Can." She stepped on his left hand. "He!" she kicked Lil'Jesus straight in the face sending him back into the apartment where he landed on Falcon.

"Go get 'em Falcon!" the heavier one ordered and Falcon quickly stood on the chair, effortlessly reaching them.

"Go, Evan. Just go!" Elle ordered closing the window sill hoping it would crush Falcon's hand.

Though he didn't think he was strong enough, Evan did his best to hang on to Hope and started his way down the fire escape. Elle's plan backfired as she forgot the window didn't close all the way down. Flacon broke through the glass painlessly as he was wearing biker gloves but had quite an opening to Elle's face. Evan looked back to find Elle lying on the floor with Falcon a top of her. He put Hope on the floor, but wasn't able to climb back up as he saw Lil'Jesus coming towards them with a gun in his hand.

_**Ms. Lane was scared.**_ Though it seemed like a good idea, she didn't like that Arthur was driven to school in a police car or that she was in one now along the helpful, yet flirty Officer Brant. Then there was Hope to think about and Mr. Jeffries yet to contact. Her cellphone was low on battery as she forgot to charge it last night. Officer Brant's phone rang and the car stopped at a random intersection. Ms. Lane studied her surroundings regretting her impulse to jump in the car with someone she barely knew. What if it was her who was in real danger?

"That was Mr. Thompson," Officer Brant announced. "He suggested we stop this wild goose chase and wait for his instructions."

"Wait?" Ms. Lane looked outside. She had never been to this side of town before. "Here? For what?"

"I guess he's supposed to call back or something," he said.

Ms. Lane was not entirely convinced Officer Brant spoke the truth so she got out of the car even though it was starting to get cold outside.

"What are you doing?" the Officer asked from inside.

"I'm waiting… I can't sit around and do nothing."

He smiled at her, "So you rather pace? In this weather? Come back inside."

Andrea looked into the car as the static came from the radio.

"_Come in 99. Do you read? Copy."_

"99 copy." Officer Brant answered. Ms. Lane leaned on the passenger's side open window, but didn't enter the car. Though her intention was to listen in, the officers spoke in a code stranger to any language she'd ever heard. It frustrated her more, so she decided to walk a bit further and better asses where she was.

It seemed mostly residential and didn't look too good. Ms. Lane had never truly experienced the city, so she didn't know much outside of her comfort zone. It seemed however that she was very close to Spanish Harlem and if she was, she had never been there before. There were a few businesses but the area wasn't especially busy. People seemed to move in packs, she observed, making a place seem especially busy with enough space for others to join around them. Ms. Lane became a little worried when she saw the housing projects not very far off, but her view of the modern world wouldn't let her be scared. Poverty was part of diversity and she would respect it.

"Ms. Lane," Officer Brant walked towards her. "I've just been notified that we have to go back."

"Why?" Ms. Lane asked, "Is it because you're helping me? Was that Thompson again?"

"No. Well, yes… Ms. Lane, two boys are missing now and one of them is Arthur," Officer Brant explained. "A unit is already out looking for them, but this is not how we work these procedures and before any of us get into any more trouble, I'll have to drive us back."

"Arthur?"

"Yes, him and one of his friends…"

Ms. Lane squint her eyes, "No. No look that's Arthur?" She pointed to a person running down the street before them. A police man shouted after him while another drove the patrol after the ruffian. "That's him! That's Arthur!" Though her red ankle boots had slightly a higher heel than she was used to, Ms. Lane had no trouble finding her balance and racing down to him. She was sure she had seen him because Arthur always wore his school jacket over his coat. She once referred to it as "ridiculous school spirit", though now the bright red accents made her aware of his presence. She heard Officer Brant yell some codes into his radio before driving after her.

_**Arthur ran as fast as his feet could take him back to where his friends where. **_Elle was right and the police man and woman he found resisted to believe his story. The woman recalled having a son just like him and the man commented he was glad his was away at college. Arthur didn't think spitting in their faces would help at all, so instead he took a coin out of his pocket and scratched the side of the car. This tactic did call their attention and he fled as the car was easily able to catch up with his legs. Arthur realized he could get to his friends through the alley where the police people would have to continue by foot as it was too small for the car to go through. He hoped they would follow him instead of giving up on his pursuit.

Elle's scream pierced his ears and though he had been catching his breath, Arthur resumed his running. The first thing he saw was Lil'Jesus holding Evan at gunpoint, while Evan stood in front of Hope. Hope appeared to be unconscious still. Up in the ladder he saw skinny man on top of Elle. He wanted to climb up and help her first, but Evan was in bigger danger than Elle. Without thinking much about it, Arthur jumped Evan's attacker from behind attempting to cover his eyes long enough for Evan to escape. However, Evan proceeded to drag Hope's body away from all the fighting, hoping Arthur would distract the man long enough for him to climb up and help Elle.

Lil'Jesus's eyes weren't very well covered by Arthur's hand, so when he saw the wall, he pressed Arthur against the building. The boy fell off his back and Lil'Jesus turned around and pointed his gun at him. Arthur took a hand to his head and felt a huge bump. He looked up and to his surprise there was the man guilty of destroying his life in the first place. And apparently he was father to one of his best friends.

"I'd never thought I'd see you again, Arthur," Lil'Jesus smiled revealing some golden teeth.

Elle's hand was progressively worse, so she couldn't fight Falcon with it. With his hands he kept hers on the floor, while jumping on her and running his dirty lips through her neck. Elle's eyes pooled. She had never felt so small, insignificant or alone. Her mind transformed into a playlist.

"_Just as I am, though tossed about  
>With many a conflict, many a doubt,<br>Fighting's and fears within, without,  
>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.i"<em>

She didn't know where she knew the song from, or whose voice it was she heard in her head while singing it, but she felt something building up from inside of her as she sang. Falcon's hands became busy fidgeting with the belt buckle that held up his jeans. Elle had no strength in her hands, but she did in her feet.

"Are you alright?" Ms. Lane asked Arthur while helping him up.

"Ms. Lane watch out!" Evan yelled from the corner where he kept Hope safe as he saw their attacker rise to his feet again and walked their way.

Ms. Lane met him half way and wrestled to take the gun from him. Evan quickly joined in the fight to help Ms. Lane, while Arthur jumped Lil'Jesus's back again.

"Police!" yelled Officer Brant coming from the Alley. "Put your hands where I can see them!"

They were all startled with the Officer's entrance and then frightened by the gun shot.

Falcon stopped cold giving Elle enough chance to lift her legs and push him off of her. Her attack was so unexpected, Falcon fell over the railing. However, he had good reflexes and was able to hold on to the rail and hang there. Elle couldn't stand. Again the sun mesmerized her. There was something flying around it, but she didn't think a bird could fly that high. Falcon struggled to climb back up. Elle studied the thing carefully. There was more to it than met the eye. Falcon moves up and down trying to propel himself into back to the platform. Elle finally discovered the bird thing flying around the sun was her; she with the wax and feather wings that the sun was melting while her skin was getting burned. The iron started creaking and Elle finally felt herself falling.

"_**That was a gunshot! Louis, someone's been shot!"**_ Lyla cried desperately as their car came to a stop. Officer Brant had told Officer Chance and Benton where to find them and luckily they were able to get there fast. Two other officers, a man and a woman, hurried towards the back of a housing project building at the sound of the gun. Louis had not time to comfort her. Instead he hurried after them.

"It's better if you stay here, sir…" Officer Benton obstructed his path.

"My kid might be in there," Louis yelled and continued his way. Lyla followed after him and so did the others, as Mr. Jeffires just pulled over along with Mrs. Boyer and Darling Diamond.

Lyla caught up to Louis and Mr. Jeffries caught up to them. They got there in time enough to see the fires escape collapse down, taking Elle with it.

Amidst their terrified stillness, Lil'Jesus tried to run. Two of the officers blocked his path and a third one started the arrest. The female officer ran towards the fire escape and Louis quickly followed. Lyla and Mr. Jeffries ran to meet their sons who stood in fear watching Ms. Lane dead on the ground. Richard didn't stay with Arthur too long after he saw his friend laying in a puddle of blood. Lyla put an arm on each of the boys, though her eyes screened through her surroundings.

"Andrea…" Mr. Jeffries called her and examined her wrist attempting to find a pulse.

Margene walked over to the wreckage where Louis and the officer tried to find Elle and Falcon.

"Hope/Elle!" Evan and Arthur said in unison, yet respectively while pulling away from Lyla's embrace.

Lyla accompanied them to where the child lay. "She's burning up…" she said with a hand on Hope's forehead when suddenly a paramedic ran her way.

She pulled away allowing for the professionals to do their job, yet she witnessed the moment when Louis pulled Elle from the rubble and helped carry her away to the ambulance out front. Lyla also saw as the medical staff hurried off with Ms. Lane past Darling Diamond, who hadn't moved from their original spot. Margene simply , almost in the same fashion as Lyla did now, watching as everyone else reacted. The female police officer got off of her knees and walked to Officer Brant. Her words, though meant for him echoed all around them as she declared Falcon dead.

i © 2011 & Carden's Design. All Rights Reserved.


	18. Chapter 18: The Waiting Game

**Chapter 18: "The Waiting Game"**

_**Most all the seats in the waiting room where taken. **_Louis and Lyla sat together next to Marshall, who sat across from Dylan, watching her intently. Dylan sat next to Mr. Jeffries who ran a hand against her back. Next to him sat Margene Boyer diagonally across from Darling Diamond, who typed furiously into her phone trying her best to ignore Averil, who despite having taken Arthur and Evan to her mother's to spend the night, had returned with take-out and foam cups of coffee for everyone; a dinner that remained untouched.

"Oh, finally!" a woman's voice broke their shared silence. Averil and Louis recognized her as Mrs. Hammond, Darling Diamond's publicist. Peter Graham, the manager, accompanied her. "We've been looking everywhere for you. Now tell me, what's the situation? How much damage control are we talking about?"

"Damage control?" Louis scoffed, "She can't be any worse than Hope or Ms. Lane or even her own daughter!"

"I am so sick of you people judging me!" Darling Diamond whined. "Have you any idea what I've been through? I got pregnant when I was very young, had a shut-gun wedding and then my mother died—I didn't want that life and now I'm suddenly sucked right back to it! And it's all your fault!" She signaled at Margene Boyer.

"I don't expect to be forgiven, so I'm not going to apologize," Margene said crossing her legs. "How could you expect me to give your child up for caprice when I can't have children of my own? How could you and my brother be so inconsiderate as to even ask me to do it for you?"

"Why didn't you adopt her then?" Darling cried. "Why be so selfish to keep anyone else from doing so?"

"You are all selfish!" Averil yelled. "Not one of these reasons have anything to do with Elle! They do however, say a lot about _you_."

"Could we please calm down?" Mr. Jeffries always played peacemaker. "We're in the hospital. This is no place for reproaches."

The pediatric surgeon in charge of Elle's case walked into their waiting area, were surprisingly Averil greeted him. "_You're_ taking on this case?"

"Yeah," he smiled. "_This_ is where you had to be?"

Averil took his hand. He was a tall, dark man with evident dimples when he smiled, "These are my brothers, Louis and Marshall Connelly. Guys, this is my husband, Grayson Foreman." Averil didn't think it wise to introduce Diamond as her _other_ half sibling.

They shook hands. Louis couldn't believe their luck, "You're treating Elle?"

"How is she?" Lyla interjected.

"I didn't know my patient was also my niece," Dr. Foreman sighed. Nobody corrected him. "She's… well, she's going to be alright. To be quite honest, her state is miraculously amazing from the fall she survived. She has a few broken ribs and several other bruises plus a couple of stitches to the side to the side of her hand on a broken arm."

"So she's broken, but not in danger?" Margene asked.

"Let's not minimize the severity of her fall. The child is still unconscious. We don't know how hard was the hit to her head or the damage it might have caused. Everything seems normal, but this has been no easy procedure. She'll be with us for quite some time."

"When can we see her?" Lyla asked.

Dr. Foreman turned to her, "I guess I could make an exception and have the parents see her." He put a hand on Lyla's back and with the other signaled the way.

Lyla looked at Louis. Margene and Darling stared at them and then back at one another.

"Gray," Averil intervened. "They're not her parents. Ms. Diamond and this lady here are her real family."

"_**You two are still not asleep?"**_ Bridget asked Arthur and Evan. She had been busy putting Crowley to sleep as the rambunctious toddler put up a fight. He wanted to continue playing with the bigger boys.

Arthur and Evan where really no good company tonight, but the toddler was fascinated by them and they found his pull irresistible. They played for a while, especially after hearing that Hope would be fine. Bridget explained what dehydration meant and that it had caused the fever and faint. She also showed them how to pray for their friends as they came out of the operation room.

"I promised I would wake you if your parents called. Why don't you try to get some rest?"

"I can't." Arthur said. "It's my fault. I asked Aug and Elle to come with me and now Ms. Lane's in trouble."

"It was not a wise decision you made, but it was a heartfelt one." Bridget said caressing his face, "I don't think it was your fault. When this whole scare is over, you'll see that you've learned and a bad thing can turned into a good thing. Nobody can blame you for an accident."

"I'm sorry about your arm, Aug…" he said to Evan, regardless of what Mrs. Lawton told him.

Evan's hand was badly sprained, so a pediatric doctor in the E.R. decided to put a cast on it. His parents tried not to make a fuss and even helped him choose a cast with color. But the blue cover around his arm was just as heavy as his heart. "It's not your fault. We all wanted to help. Even Elle came back to do it."

"Came back from where?" Bridget was a good listener.

"I don't know," Evan felt he could tell her anything, and so it went for Arthur. "Her parents don't love her, so she was living with us."

"Not anymore," Arthur reminded him.

"I thought she was bad, but she wasn't."

Arthur was surprised at Evan's confession.

"Why did you think that, Evan?" Bridget asked putting a hand on his cheek.

Bridget felt warm and smelt like sugar. Evan liked her very much.

"She's in our class and was very mean to teachers, especially Ms. Novacek, Aug—Evan's mom." Arthur explained. "Don't feel bad, man. I thought she was mean too!"

"But I thought she was there to break my family," Evan said crying a little. "I… I sometimes feel like I don't fit in with my mom and dad."

"I know _that_ feeling," Arthur said. He was sure Mr. Jeffries was angry at him. In fact, he thought his recently adoptive father blamed him for what happened to Ms. Lane. "But at least they're your _real_ parents."

"I wasn't adopted, but I know how bad it feels when you think you don't belong," Bridget told them. "I fear Crowley will feel like that one day, being adopted and all. I was even against Averil and Gray adopting internationally, but then I thought… he's going to grow up someday—_you_ two are going to grow up someday, and I hope you will think to those moments when you felt inadequate and laugh."

"Laugh?" Evan seemed skeptical.

"Yes, laugh. I heard you were in a foster home and that you, Arthur, lived on the streets. Well, which do you like better? The streets or your new home? Foster home or being with your parents?"

"That's easy!" Arthur said. "We all know we're better off _now_!"

"Then stop thinking about how strange it feels—you know it feels better than what you had before." Bridget smiled. "My mother always said that when things seem the worst possible, they were about to get better!"

"How did she know?" Evan asked.

"Because after you've been down there's no other place to go but up!"

_**Reverend James was in the pediatric ward visiting with Hope. **_She was finally asleep when Lyla, Dylan and Mr. Jeffries came from the lower floor to visit.

"How is she doing?" Lyla asked running a hand through Hope's legs.

"She's receiving her fluids through the I.V., but that's only temporary," Reverend James explained. "She was up earlier and ate a little bit of gelatin and a chicken broth. Dr. Foreman decided to give her a small dosage of sleeping medication when she became uneasy asking about her friends; apparently, in her state, she could hear them."

"How much does she know about what happened?" Dylan asked choking a sob.

"Not much." The Reverend sighed. "I couldn't bring myself to tell her about Ms. Lane. She only knows that Elle is hurt because she recalls having heard her screaming."

"I'm just glad she's going to be fine," Dylan started crying. "That was my sister's biggest preoccupation."

"Come on Dylan, let's go outside." Lyla ordered. Ms. Snow's crying worsened again and she didn't want Hope to wake up to it.

"We're all devastated," Mr. Jeffries added. "I don't know what Arthur was thinking."

"He's very courageous… but then again, ignorance is bliss." Reverend James told him.

"Well, I don't know what I'm going to do about it…" Mr. Jeffries said, unable to admit to the Reverend his true feelings. He was angry. So angry at Arthur in fact, that he questioned if he could ever love him like he had his daughter Mira. Richard Jeffries had played this waiting game before and had lost everything. He couldn't help feeling like it was happening all over again.

"Richard, what is wrong? We haven't known each other very long, but I can tell…"

"I don't know, Reverend." Mr. Jeffries sat on the chair the Reverend had left empty. "I'm trying really hard not to blame him, but…"

"For disobeying, finding Hope or because of Ms. Lane's injury?" Reverend James interrupted.

Mr. Jeffries looked at him, "I don't know."

"As worried as I became when Louis called me, I must admit I am rather thankful to Arthur and the rest of the kids. I can't help wondering what would have happened to Hope had we taken an additional day to find her?"

"Did she tell you why she fled?" Mr. Jeffries changed subjects.

"She said after she was removed from Ms. Lane's care and no one came back for her," he sighed. "She set out to find her father hoping _he_ would want to keep her."

"Even they think of themselves as puppies."

"I don't think that's it." Reverend James said. "I think in their world everything is just simple. Hope doesn't see the complexity of raising a child and was hoping Ms. Lane would choose to keep her as she had chosen Ms. Lane to care for her."

"No doubt a thought fueled by Arthur's crazy idea!"

"About that, Mr. Jeffries," Reverend James cleared his throat. "How crazy of an idea is it?"

"Reverend! How can you ask me that question?"

"Please do not take offense as that is not my purpose." He opened his palms on his chest, "Do forgive me. My curiosity sparked from your uneasiness about Ms. Lane's condition. I apologize."

"She's one of my oldest and dearest friends… she introduced me to Janine… we know each other well…" Mr. Jeffries wanted it all to seem very clean, but the kissed the shared some time ago invaded his memories.

"She's part of your family and therefore has become part of Arthur's. Now she is also a part of Hope's… I guess we're as much at fault at fueling that thought that they are puppies, you know? We form a bond with these children and sometimes threaten to leave them as if they were nothing more than strays…"

Reverend James's words caused Mr. Jeffries to think. "I'm not strong enough to let go of Janine and Elmira."

"No one should even think to ask you to be strong enough to leave them aside, heavens no!" Reverend J said, "But are you willing to pass on other opportunities or let go of other people grasping to a reality that is no more? Memories, emotions, feelings are one thing… but life is made up of other tangible aspects and faith… so much more."

"What do you mean, Reverend?"

"Just that, Mr. Jeffries." He answered seriously, "I do not know any different than what goes through my heart. You are the sole owner of yours."

_**Lyla held Dylan's long, dark hair for her. **_Crying was enough to get her started vomiting again. Though Lyla was looking away and there was nothing particularly disgusting about her throwing up, Lyla was getting lightheaded and had to leave her mid vomit.

"Thanks a lot…" Dylan said exiting the stall and walking over to the sinks where Lyla was standing.

"Well… what did you expect?" Lyla said looking away as her friend rinsed her mouth and washed a lock of hair. "No more excuses though, Dylan. I think it's time."

Dylan looked at the woman in scrubs next to her. She looked disgusted by Dylan's vomited lock of hair.

"I'm serious." Lyla insisted.

"We'll know in a couple of months, so it's not necessary," Dylan washed her face.

"A _real_ pregnancy test is necessary!" Lyla looked at her now. "I would want one."

"Then you take one," Dylan said braiding her hair. "My sister's life could be in danger… I can't think of that right now."

"Pregnancy testing is real simple, you know…" the woman in the scrub intervened.

"See?" Lyla agreed. Dylan hated when other people butted in her conversations.

"We could take a urine sample and you'd know in a couple of minutes." She smiled, "I can do it. At this time there's hardly anyone, so it wouldn't take five minutes!"

"You've been on Marshall's radar all night. We are definitely doing this!" Lyla said.

"It really is a fast procedure." The nurse insisted and before Dylan could object, Lyla pushed her to it.

They followed Nurse Joyce to the lab where she handed them both a urine cup for the sample. Lyla returned her cup, but Dylan insisted.

"I've been pregnant before Dylan, I would know if I was…"

"So? I don't care." Dylan said. "If I'm not pregnant then Marshall's _officially_ off the hook. If I am, then I'll just hand him _your_ results and I'll _get_ him off the hook."

"And then what?" Lyla remembered Dylan wanted to 'take care of it' herself.

"I haven't thought that far. Just… Lyla… please… pee in the damn cup!"

Lyla rolled her eyes and entered the bathroom before Dylan. Then she waited for Dylan outside. After Dylan was done they handed their cups to the nurse who asked them to wait a couple of minutes amid Dylan's protesting. Nurse Joyce _did_ promise her it wouldn't take longer than five. Lyla sat Dylan next to her and they uninterestedly browsed through some old magazines.

"She's everything I got left you know…" Dylan said softly. "What is she doesn't make it?"

Lyla knew exactly what Ms. Snow was talking about. Ms. Lane had been shot in the abdominal area and the doctor warned them that some organs could bleed profusely causing death. Her injury required urgent surgery as they had to keep her from suffering of insufficient blood in the circulatory system. Ms. Lane would need procedures to extract the bullet and recover broken tissue. They had no news of her for a couple of hours and as good news for Hope and now Elle were delivered, the wait for good news on Ms. Lane's behalf became unbearable.

"I've never met a stronger, fiercer woman." Lyla smiled thinking about her relationship to Ms. Lane. "I'm sure she'll pull through."

Dylan's phone went off. She looked at the screen and gave it to Lyla, "You answer it."

Lyla looked at the screen. Marshall's name was flashing, "I think you should…"

"Please."

Lyla pressed the button and took the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She received the information struggling to keep calm. She assumed she wasn't doing very good at it, as Ms. Snow looked at her alarmed.

"What? What happened?" Dylan asked.

"It's Ms. Lane… the doctor wants to see you…" Lyla didn't get to finish her sentence when Dylan flew by her and was out the laboratory doors. A cold shiver prevented Lyla from reacting or even standing up. This was the update they've been waiting for but she wasn't sure she could deal with it.

"Ms. Novacek?" Nurse Joyce called. "I got your results." As on autopilot, Lyla dragged her feet to the counter. "Would you like me to put these in envelopes?"

Lyla grabbed one of the papers, "Uh, yeah. That other one, please." She skimmed through it. Pregnant it said. "Oh. This isn't mine."

"I apologize, then…" The nurse checked the paper she had folded into the envelope. She read and gave it to her, "Here you go Ms. Snow."

"Oh, I'm not Ms. Snow…" Lyla corrected. "Did you mix up or samples?" She said skimming through the second paper now in her hand. Pregnant, it read. "Are these from just one sample?"

"No." Nurse Joyce became nervous. She was tired from her shift, but never tired enough to start mixing things up. She wouldn't have agreed to do it if she felt such limitation. "Which one are you?"

"I'm Lyla Novacek."

Nurse Joyce put on latex gloves and checked the containers. She had written their names on the label as was always done and made sure she had written their names correctly. "I wrote them right, did I give you the wrong container?" She threw away her glove, washed her hands and revised the papers spread out on the counter.

"I don't remember?" Lyla explained. "I know I gave you mine back, but Dylan insisted so I took it back."

"It doesn't make a difference anyways, miss. The results are the same: you are both pregnant."

Lyla took the papers back from Nurse Joyce. Indeed the results where the same and her name did appear on one of them, versus that other one which had Ms. Snows.

"Can we do it again?"

_**Louis had gone to find Mr. Jeffries.**_ Marshall had been instructed to keep put as Averil had volunteer to search for Dylan and Lyla. He didn't understand why everyone had to run all over the hospital so he took initiative and called Dylan. Besides, he was still debating whether to talk to her or not.

Mrs. Hammond loudly closed her laptop and let out an exaggerated yawn.__"It is getting late—or rather I should say early. We should head on home. We can do the same as here more comfortably."

Marshall watched. He couldn't believe Mrs. Hammond's attitude and didn't want to miss, Darling Diamond's reaction. Or Margene Boyer's who sat up straighter when the idea was suggested.

"Give me about fifteen more minutes," Darling said coolly. "I texted Nick and he finally answered. He'll be coming around shortly."

The doctor who had operated Ms. Lane came back out, "Is Ms. Andrea Lane's family here?"

"Not yet," Marshall answered, just as Dylan showed up.

"I'm here! I made it…" she walked up to the doctor. "What's up, doc? How's my sister?"

The doctor didn't smile so Dylan didn't think she had a reason to be humorous. Dr. Ellis took a deep breath and sighed. "Please follow me…" she said and took Dylan with her. Marshall decided to follow them regardless.

"Marshall?" Louis and Mr. Jeffries arrived. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," he returned to them. "Maybe you should go," he said to Mr. Jeffries. "The doctor and Dylan went that way. I think it's serious."

Mr. Jeffries ran after them just as Nick Agostino came in. The Connelly brothers decided to stay and watch.

"Finally!" Darling said to him.

"Excuse me, but my wife is in labor. I'm supposed to be on the seventh floor." He said to Darling and then pointed at Margene, "What is _she_ doing here?"

"Where else would I be? I am your sister aren't I?" Margene said, provoking her brother.

"Melody was hurt. She was playing with some friends or something and a fire escape collapse while she was on it…" Darling explained, rather inaccurately. Louis wondered if she was hiding from Nick what really happened or if that was what she really understood. "The doctor says she'll be ok."

"_That's_ why you called me over twenty times?" Nick was upset.

"I'm sorry it wasn't Armageddon." Louis said and Marshall chuckled.

"Stay out of this, ok?" Nick said to him and then turned to Darling, "Cora, you know that I'll always be there for you, but if the doctor says she was fine, what do you expect me to do? I'm not a doctor, I'm a musician…"

"Not a very good one…" Marshall mumbled, though clear enough for him to hear. Nick ignored it.

"Nick," Darling said taking hold of his shoulders. "She's still _our_ kid. The hospital needed all sorts of authorizations and information that I don't have!"

"Oh and I do?" he chuckled. "Should have asked Margie."

"I _did_ know some of that information, but I don't have the legal rights to her, you do!" Margene became upset.

"And whose fault is that?" Nick asked.

"Is that really important now?" Louis asked.

"You two seriously need to grow up!" Margene told Nick and Darling while grabbing her purse to go.

"I'm gonna go," Darling said grabbing her bag and signaling her publicist and manager. "I can't deal with any of this! I'll have my people call yours…" she said heading to the elevator with her team.

"Good, Darling!" Nick yelled. "_I_ have a wife to return to!" He followed them out and called the elevator.

Averil came from their direction confused as to the spectacle that she walked into when the elevator stopped. "What happened?"

Louis sighed, "Elle was abandoned again…"

_**Ms. Lane resisted the operation, but wasn't doing very well.**_ The doctors were unable to remove the bullet as doing so could have caused severe bleeding to the patient who'd already lost a fair amount of blood. She would need a transfusion and after speaking to the doctors, Dylan's pregnancy made her ineligible. Dylan was allowed to visit with her for a while in the Intensive Care Unit. It was heartbreaking to see her otherwise intimidating, fashionable sister lying in a cold, hospital bed and looking as vulnerable as she did.

"I'm tempted to paint her lips red," she said between sniffs when she felt Mr. Jeffries hand on her shoulder.

"That would make her seem a bit more like our Andy…" he said. Though Dr. Ellis refused to let a second person in, Dr. Foreman convinced her otherwise. "She'll be ok."

"I can't imagine you believe that," Dylan turned to look at him. "This must remind you so much of what you went through with Janine and Elmira. I know it reminds _me_ of my parents."

Mr. Jeffries didn't want her to hear his voice breaking. It _did_ remind him of Janine, especially because Janine had a chance to survive. She had opened her eyes and while she couldn't speak, having heard her daughter was dead limited all the chances for a full recovery. Her pleading eyes, begging Mr. Jeffries allow her to go with Mira, was forever fixed in his memory. Sometimes he wondered if he resented his wife for that decision.

"We haven't always gotten along, but she's all that I have left and I don't want her to leave me."

"She won't. Andy's very loyal…"

"That's true." Dylan chuckled, "Did you know she had the hugest crush on you?"

"What? No." Mr. Jeffries marveled at this new bit of information.

"She did. But I don't know why she was so intimidated. She practically forced Janine between you, but I guess it turned for the better. I'm just sorry I couldn't say goodbye. She was a good friend and Mira was a lovely young lady. I don't want to offend you or anything, but Hope reminds me of her. I don't know what it is, she just does…"

Mr. Jeffries was starting to underappreciate Dylan's talking. The subject was especially hurtful and she had to have known. He was rather relieved when Marshall knocked on the door asking them to come outside. Asking _her, _rather, and it was alright by him. Mr. Jeffries wanted some time alone with Andrea.

Dylan didn't want to go, but she was sure it would do Richard good to stay a while with her sister. She was on the fence about this imminent conversation, so it was safer for her to return to the waiting area where she assumed she'd find an audience. Marshall didn't appreciate what she was trying to do, but followed her anyways.

"I think I'm going to head on home now," Averil said to Louis when Marshall and Dylan came to sight.

"Yes, go get some rest. We're not much use here…" Louis said. "I'm thinking we might go to, if I can ever find Lyla."

"Here, I am…" Lyla walked slowly towards them. She didn't sit, but stood before him. "I'm tired." She looked around, "Where's everyone else?"

"Elle's family left a while ago." Louis answered.

"You know, I could talk to Grayson if you want to see her?" Averil offered.

"That's ok, Averil." Louis answered before Lyla could speak. "It would only cause more tension and she doesn't need it. Lyla, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," she rubbed her eyes; she was tired. "Just…" she turned around and handed Ms. Snow a sealed envelope. They didn't speak during the exchange and after they were done Lyla picked up her things and left along with Louis and Averil.

Dylan sat grasping the envelope. Marshall sat silently beside her. For a while it seemed as not one of them would say anything. It wasn't like them to be in this position. They were adventurous free spirits and didn't think their adventure together would end up in a forceful tie-down. Marshall didn't know what her was supposed to do or what he wanted to do, but Dylan seemed just as conflicted. He'd always known they were kindred spirits. Sitting right next to each other they didn't have to speak to know what was being unsaid.

"I'm pregnant…" Dylan said softly. She didn't look at him but continued playing with the envelope in her hands.

"I know." He sighed and leaned back on his chair.

_**Louis couldn't sleep. **_He reached out to feel Lyla, but surprisingly she wasn't in bed. The floor felt cold to his bare feet but he welcomed the annoyance as it was a distraction from his whirlwind of thoughts. He found Lyla in the den organizing Elle's stuff. Louis couldn't tell if she was packing or unpacking the girl's things, but nonetheless she was folding her clothes along with the rest of the laundry, they had neglected to do in the last couple of crazy days.

"It's almost seven, Lyla. Why aren't you in bed?" Louis asked.

"We barely had any clothes left. Someone had to do laundry."

Louis looked at his watch. They had been home from the hospital for exactly four hours. There was something more to her being awake than the urgency for clean clothes, but Louis didn't press her. He simply stood next to her and helped her with the task.

"I'm not going to work today." She said.

"You need some rest. We all do…" he kissed her cheek expressing solidarity. "It's been a long couple of days."

Louis watched as she moved to fold anyone else's garments, but quickly changed her mind. Lyla refolded Elle's clothes as if the bin didn't have any others. When she realized what she was doing she went to the unopened bags they had bought the day of the makeovers. She carefully examined each garment and folded them along with her other clothes. "What a difference…" she said before turning to him, "Look at these. They are rags."

He looked at Elle's old clothes and then back at her, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lyla sighed. She wasn't sure what she wanted or what she felt. "I hadn't done this for her before. I was worried about Evan and how she could affect him or whatever. She wasn't very nice."

"No she wasn't."

"She was a typical teenager wasn't she?" Lyla asked looking straight at him, "I just couldn't see it. I became jealous of someone else coming into our lives and… well, I don't know—I don't know what I _thought_ might happen, but this was certainly not it."

He didn't know what to say to her. Louis didn't even want to pretend to know what she felt or what she was thinking. He could only attempt to organize his thoughts and wish to somehow be able to tell her.

"You weren't scared to bring her in. Why weren't you scared, Louis?" she was upset.

"I don't know… because of my dreams I guess." He answered, "Which also helped me to better relate with her."

"I didn't even try… not until recently—and Evan! He was so resistant to having to share our attention. He still is!" She threw one of her own shirts against the wall. The purple camisole top bounce off the wall and landed on the floor behind the couch.

"Lyla, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?" Louis put his hands on her shoulders.

For a moment Lyla didn't know what to say. Or she _did_ know what she had to say, but didn't think she had slid well into the topic. "I couldn't handle it, Louis. I became just as scared and things never had to be a complicated as they turned. Elle was just another girl in need of a good home—even if it was temporary and it wasn't until just this minute that I realized her clothes are rags!" In his arms Lyla was expelling all frustrations, "How do I know that I can do this?"

"If this worries you so much, then I'd say you can," he smiled at her. "Besides it's not like you're doing this on your own you know…"

Lyla hugged him again. She knew better than to act this way and return to her insecurities. Talking to Louis made her fears disappear and, finally, that overwhelming joy she'd been expecting took over her.

"This might be crazy," Louis said, still holding on to her. "But…" Lyla pulled away just enough to look into his mesmerizing, blue eyes. "What—what would you think about expanding our family?"

'_This is it!'_ she thought, gathered her strength and took a deep breath, "By how many do you mean?" She asked and he scoffed, confused. Louis was unable to answer her question. Lyla knew she had to speak before he did or she might coward back out of this perfect moment. "I'm… pregnant, Louis."


	19. Chapter 19: Yes, I am Who are you?

**Chapter 19: **"Yes I am. Who are you?"

_**Lyla was ridiculously excited! **_She and Louis had talked all morning and had slept just a few hours before midafternoon. Even upon waking she found her husband to be was still very excited about them having another child together. It was every woman's dream to talk about getting a bigger place and about the wedding, but though the opportunity was there, she couldn't for a second forget. Lyla couldn't forget about Evan any more than she could forget about Elle. But she didn't want to be the scared person she's been until now. In the last few days she had gone back to wearing her old clothes and today, her latest fresh start, she didn't want to. She emptied her unopened bags and decided to wear the clothes Lizzy had gotten for her during their makeover. Lyla settled for black flared pants and a grey long sleeve knit wear. It seemed kind of dark to wear just those colors, so she decided to add to it by wearing a colored cami. Layering it with the V-neck shirt would make it so the color popped out of her outfit.

She laughed. It had been a long time since Lyla put so much thought into what she wore. She wasn't even going to work this morning. She tried on a red cami, but it didn't seem as if red was the right color to wear to the hospital. She still had no news of Ms. Lane or Elle, so the situation was probably not as festive as the color suggested. Then, Lyla remembered the purple camisole shirt behind the couch. She hurried to the den and tried to squeeze herself into the small space between the couch and the wall.

"What are you doing?" Louis said alarmed. "Why not call me?"

"Louis, I'm fine. I just want the shirt I tossed behind here…" Lyla blushed. She really like his overprotectiveness.

"Let me help anyways, ok?" he smiled. Louis kissed Lyla's cheek and found himself wondering if this is anywhere near what it would have been like if they had met at then by the arch. There was no time for that. He wanted to find Marshall and ask him how his talk with Ms. Snow went. So he pushed the couch and bent to pick up the camisole, Lyla so desperately wanted. "Found it!" he announced and threw it up to her before coming back up from the floor.

"Thank you," she said. "I won't take too long changing. I want to talk to Dylan and Reverend James. I'm thinking he should officiate our wedding, don't you? Louis?" It was strange that he didn't answered. They'd been acting giddy all morning, but when she turned and saw his face, she knew their happiness this morning was short lived. "What is it?" she asked.

Louis read from a piece of paper, folded up right down the middle. The paper was yellowing and showing signs of tear. Louis looked at her and read:

"My dearest Melody, by the time you are old enough to read this I will be long gone. So much in fact you might not remember me. It was by my insistence that your parents are your parents and I don't know if that has done you any good. Please, forgive me. Forgive me for failing to have Nick and Coraline see you as I do. Evidently, love is a personal choice and I am only one person, soon living this earth in hopes that in the afterlife I can do better for you than I have done here. Never forget my dear baby girl, that grandma loves you, just as you are. I hope the next few words spark a memory, however small, of the summer nights in the rocking chair watching the fireflies wishing you the best of life.

_Just as I am, without one plea,  
>But that Thy blood was shed for me,<br>And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,  
>O <em>_Lamb of God__, I come, I come.  
>Just as I am, and waiting not<br>To rid my soul of one dark blot,  
>To Thee whose blood can <em>_cleanse__ each spot,  
>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.<em>

_Just as I am, though tossed about  
>With many a conflict, many a doubt,<br>Fightings and fears within, without,  
>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.<em>

_Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;  
>Sight, riches, healing of the mind,<br>Yea, all I need in Thee to find,  
>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.<em>

_Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,  
>Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;<br>Because Thy promise I believe,  
>O Lamb of God, I come, I come.<em>

_Just as I am, Thy love unknown  
>Hath broken every barrier down;<br>Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,  
>O Lamb of God, I come, I comei<em>."

_**The doctor had asked Dylan and him to go home as there were no changes with Andrea. **_The eerie silence he came home to made it impossible for Mr. Jeffries to sleep well. He had spent all night looking through old pictures, videos and other souvenirs long forgotten. In a way it was like finding himself again, which was a step in the right direction towards forgiving Arthur. Mr. Jeffries promised Dylan he would pick her up and drive her back to the hospital. She was staying at Andrea's apartment. He was on his way there when he got a call from Dylan canceling. She found someone else to drive her to the hospital and though he didn't ask, Richard assumed it had to be Marshall. Though they thought him long gone, he waited for them at the exit. Dylan refused his offer to take her home, but Richard was sure Marshall wouldn't give up on her that easily. Which caused him to wonder what kind of man _he_ was. Marshall Connelly didn't seem like the type to beg a woman or place himself at her feet under so slight temptation of fatherhood. Mr. Jeffries had been there during Evan's adoption process and Marshall was always the one to promise a better life awaited his brother if he eluded his responsibilities. If Mr. Jeffries had been wrong about Marshall, could he be wrong about himself too? He didn't want to think about it. When he got to the hospital, coincidentally he met Reverend James and some parishioners who were on his way to see Hope.

"How are you today, Reverend?" Mr. Jeffries asked his friend.

"Much better than yesterday," he smiled. "I woke up with a wonderful feeling today. Everything is going to work out."

Mr. Jeffries smiled, though he wasn't as optimistic. "May I walk with you? I suppose you're here to see Hope?"

"Yes. Come with us, there is someone I want you to meet," the Reverend said while introducing him to a couple as they all rode the elevator. "This is Marvin and Vanessa Rhodes. They are interested in adopting Hope!"

"That's… great." Mr. Jeffries said, less enthusiastic.

"I practically grew up in that church, until we got married and found work elsewhere," Vanessa explained. "Now, Marvin's been offered a new job here. We haven't been able to have kids…"

"That sounds perfect, Mrs. Rhodes, but I am no longer Hope's caseworker." Reverend James was surprised at Mr. Jeffries news. "I met with Jerry Thompson in the cafeteria yesterday. He's passing it on."

"What will happen to Hope then?" the Reverend worried.

Mr. Jeffries sighed, "She'll be placed in foster care, right after she's released from here."

"Over the Rainbow, I presume?"

"No, Reverend. This time she'll have to go to a group home."

Reverend James stopped as he was opening the door to Hope's room. This was not what he wanted to hear, but Mr. Jeffries was sure, the Reverend would be more successful with Hope's case without his help. When he finally did open the door, they realized the child was missing.

"Oh, not again…" Reverend James said out loud.

Mr. Jeffries hurried to the nurse's station, "Good afternoon, why is the girl in room 405 not there? Are thy running some tests, did someone take her?"

"Let me see," the nurse checked some files. Reverend James stood with Mr. Jeffries waiting for the answer. "She had some tests done and everything went well. She's recuperating fast and will be released soon."

"But she's not in her room…" the Reverend repeated.

The nurse picked up the phone and talked to someone, then turned back to them to inform them: "Dr. Foreman authorize her to visit a patient on the eight floor."

"Andrea!" Mr. Jeffries said and hurried off to the elevator. He heard Reverend James thank the nurse and ask the couple to follow him.

Though the elevator took much longer than usual, they finally made it to Ms. Lane's floor and found Hope returning from Ms. Lane's room in company of a nurse, who held her hand. She was walking without much help and the I.V. was no longer needed. She was very happy to see them and hugged them each as if she hadn't seen them in years. Mr. Jeffries was especially moved by the girl's embrace, not only because she summoned memories of her own lost daughter, but because her emotions where as transparent and pure as they had always been. Hope was not changed by any of her latest life experiences.

"How are you doing, Hope?" Vanessa asked very sweetly.

"I'm very good, thank you for asking, ma'am." She said happily. Mr. Jeffries wondered if she was just being polite or if she somehow knew Vanessa's and Marvin's intentions.

"Sit here," Mr. Jeffries offered her a seat at their familiar waiting room. "Now that you feel better, can you tell me what happened?"

Hope nodded, "I asked around for my dad when I escaped from school to the old neighborhood and someone knew where he was. I introduced myself as his daughter and asked him if he would stay with me. He asked me who'd I'd been with that I looked so nice and I told him. He took me to his house and gave me a kitten—I don't suppose you know where he is?" Both Richard and Mr. Jeffries shook their heads. "That's too bad because he was only a baby. I had a room and though it didn't have anything in it, my father promised he would buy me stuff. I don't think it was true, though Mr. Jeffries. At night, he would tell me to close my door. He locked it from the other side for protection and only he had the key."

"Why?" Mr. Jeffries asked.

"I don't know." Hope shrugged her shoulders, "I supposed they were doing bad stuff and didn't want me to see. That's why I told him I rather just go back, but he said no and locked me in. I couldn't go out even though I was hungry and thirsty—I couldn't drink the water in the bathroom because it was brown and I don't think it's healthy to drink brown water."

"It's not. You did good." The Reverend smiled at her.

"I didn't do very good," Hope said sadly. "I got my kitty _and_ my friends in trouble… am I in a lot of trouble now?"

Mr. Jeffries and Reverend James looked at one another. Without speaking a word they agreed to postpone telling Hope about her transfer to a group home.

"You're not in trouble, Hope." Reverend James said.

"But we'll have to discuss some things later," Mr. Jeffries announced. "In the meantime, why don't you go back to your room? Reverend James has brought these nice people who really wanted to meet you."

Hope looked at Marvin and Vanessa, then at Reverend James, "I'm sorry Reverend J." she said sweetly, "But now that I've seen Ms. Lane and prayed for, I want to see Elle next. Nurse Janine said she'd take me.

Mr. Jeffries looked twice after hearing the name. The nurse was nothing like his late wife and yet there stood, another Janine, right in front of him. A strange feeling took over him as he finally realized, _his_ Janine was gone.

"I guess that's alright." Reverend James said. "Do you mind if we go with you? I'd like to see your friend and pray for her, too."

"Sure, but I'd like Mr. Jeffries to stay with Ms. Lane…" Hope said looking at Richard. "She said she was fine, but she doesn't look fine to me. I don't want her to be alone and she doesn't have a special nurse like me, to take care of her. Will you take care of her Mr. Jeffries? Nurse Janine says I can't, even when I'm released. She says I am up here by contraband—I'm not really supposed to be here…"

Richard Jeffries smiled. He felt tricked by a girl who was accomplice to his son's matchmaking plans, but unable to resist Hope's innocent charm. He agreed and watched her leave surrounded by people. The Reverend promised to come visit Ms. Lane next. It wasn't until then that Richard realized, Hope said she has spoken to Ms. Lane. He hurried to her room where the only change he saw today was that Andrea had her eyes open.

"Andy…" he said softly when he came in. She looked at him and forced a smile. "How are you feeling?" he asked though she seemed like she was in a lot of pain.

"You can see for yourself. Don't ask."

He smiled to find the same woman she'd always been. "Dylan's been stuck to you all this time…"

"I could smell her awful fragrance," she took a deep, yet painful breath. "I'm not dying. She can go back under a rock if she wants."

"Really, Andrea?" he teased. "You woke up and _that's_ what you want to say to her? _That's_ how you feel?"

"No. But you don't have to know otherwise."

"It would be nice to," he said slowly approaching her. She really looked a cadaver, next to the woman he had seen last week. But he was calm now, happy, she would soon bloom back into her old self. Instinctively, and because she was already vulnerable, Mr. Jeffries gathered up the courage to kiss her forehead. He didn't mean to linger, but again, she was her oldest friend. "Welcome back, Andrea Lane—world class manipulator. There are better ways to get attention you know…"

She tried to chuckle, but it hurt her to laugh—literally, this time. "Don't. Don't make me…"

"Ok, ok." He smiled at her, "The world is ready to be back at your feet, Andy."

"I would turn my back to it if I could move at all." She said closing her eyes. Richard was alarmed. "Hope was in here. She's alright."

"I know. She really is an angel…"

"I know." Ms. Lane took another one of her deep breaths that worried Mr. Jeffries so. "She single handedly appeased my demons. I want her in and them out. For selfish reasons, I need to keep her and you're gonna help me."

Mr. Jeffries chuckled. "You are already scheming. How long have you been awake, Andrea?"

"Talk to Jerry. I got dirt on him."

"How nice…"

"Do what you must. Just. Get me the girl…"

"Do you know how wicked that sounds?" Mr. Jeffries struggled with his mixed emotions. Andrea was a complex woman, whose ailment complicated things further. And yet, all he could think about was kissing her. "You got to make a full recovery before you're even considered and you know all this. Why not focus on what's real important now, huh? Kids are a lot of work and, unlike the majority of your projects, you can leave unfinished once you get bored…"

"How's Arthur? Is _he_ ok?"

"Don't change subjects on me Andrea! You know I am right. You can't say you want to adopt Hope and then go back on your word. That's not how this works…"

"Don't be angry at him, Richard. He was only trying to help." She said closing her eyes and he wondered if her mind traveled back to that wretched day. "He's a great kid."

"I'm not saying otherwise, but kids are a lot of work! I'm doing it on my own so I think you should be paying a little more attention to me if you're new caprice is anything serious…"

"If you must preach a sermon," She gasped for air. "At least wait for the nurse to deliver my painkillers."

Richard scoffed and laughed. "Why do we drive each other crazy?"

"Because it's been like that forever." Ms. Lane hissed as she tried to move, "Janine knew we loved and respected her, but she was no idiot. She could see through the both of us even when I was miles away. Maybe that's why it was so easy for her to leave you, because I was still around."

He didn't expect Andrea to say these things. He assumed that if Dylan knew her sister had a crush on him, so had to her best friend. "It's… don't. Rest up, Andrea. Dylan should be here any minute…"

"Lying here has made me return to the night she died," Andrea closed her eyes and a few tears escaped them. "We both depended on her for direction, so it was no surprise we got lost without her. But I owe it to her to be truthful… I was furious at you for letting her go."

"How did you…" then he remembered. Mr. Jeffries remembered a detail that he had long forgot about Janine's death: Andrea had been in the room with him. He chose to forget it because he felt guilty. Janine knew and commented a few times on the obvious attraction he and Andrea felt towards one another. She was sure neither one of them would ever act upon it while she was alive, and Elmira's death gave her a reason not to be in their way. Both of them loved her and Mira too much to ever think _she_ was the problem. So they never worked together or spent time alone together, not without Janine. Their tactic was successful, until Evan Taylor showed up.

"Jan didn't expect you to do things alone… but I guess, I too have failed her."

A nurse came in bringing silence in between them. He checked on Ms. Lane and the several tubes that hung around her. Hope had been braver than Mr. Jeffries as he could barely stand to see the foes surrounding her.

"This will put her to sleep." The nurse explained. "She's had quite an eventful morning. The doctor is in and will see her shortly. If you stay put he'll give you the exact condition of your wife."

"She's… not, my…" Mr. Jeffries looked at the nurse, who waited for his answer. It was too long and complicated and bottom line was, he wanted to know. "Thank you." He said and watch the man leave with the tray of instruments he had brought with him.

"Shotgun wedding… nice." Ms. Lane mumbled as her eyelids became heavy and her tongue stumbled inside her mouth.

Mr. Jeffries looked at her. How could he find this near corpse so beautiful? He looked around for witnesses and taking advantage of his friend's lethargy he kissed her.

_**Louis wanted to see Elle first and Lyla agreed.**_ They got her a little stuffed elephant, Elle liked so much. There was very little of her to remember, but what little they remembered was fine. They were hoping not to run into Nick, or Margene or Darling Diamond, though they expected to see at least one of them there. There were a couple of news vans at the entrance making the probability of seeing one of them higher. However, they were pleasantly surprised to see Hope, along with the Reverend praying for Elle. They knelt outside in front of the window by the door.

"Hi…" Lyla said softly. She didn't want to interrupt.

Louis looked suspiciously at the couple standing by the Reverend. Reverend James got off of his knees and went to greet his friends. "What do you think? Is this not a miracle?" He pointed to Hope.

"Yes," Louis smiled. "We're glad to see her well."

Hope finished her prayer and went over to greet them. Louis and Lyla got a hug each and later agreed, the gesture gave them a hint of optimistic energy they needed so much.

"How's Evan?" she quickly asked.

"He's doing alright. I hope he can come around soon to see you," Lyla said.

"It's ok. Hospitals aren't really kid friendly," Hope smiled. "But he can come see me at Ms. Lane's place. She promised she would adopt me."

Lyla looked at Louis and then at Reverend James. Nurse Janine caught up to the adult's cues and told Hope they had to return to her room. Marvin and Vanessa asked if they could come along and Hope allowed it. Finally, with her gone the Reverend could speak.

"Mr. Jeffries has been removed from her case and she will have to go to a group home after she is released, which may in fact be very soon…"

"And Ms. Lane? How could she have spoken to her?" Louis asked.

"Ms. Lane woke up this morning," the Reverend explained. "It doesn't mean she's out of danger, but it makes for a more optimistic diagnosis. Hope was with her this morning, but I haven't yet asked what they talked about."

"And Elle?" Lyla asked him.

Reverend James shook his head, "I know nothing. I haven't seen Dr. Foreman all afternoon."

"Is her family here?"

"I don't think so. Again, I've yet to see them too."

"There's Dr. Foreman," Louis interrupted their conversation. His sister's husband looked tired, as if he hadn't gone home. "Dr. Foreman. How are you? You look beat."

"I am," he said shaking hands with Louis. "I was here all night. Aevril told me this was a special patient."

"Is she alright?" Lyla became worried.

"At the moment she is. But last night her temperature rose dramatically and we feared it was an infection. We're still not exactly sure what caused the fever, but we've been able to control it. It was a terrible night…" Dr. Foreman sighed. "I am always moved by my little patients and Melody here was no different. She was cold and feeling awful and calling for her mother. I've been trying to contact her, but it's nearly impossible."

"So she wasn't here? Elle spent the night alone?" Lyla could have blamed her hormones now, but the tears forming in her eyes where all her.

"Well, I was with her or her assigned nurse, but not her parents. Averil, somewhat explained the situation, but I still need her parents' consent on other forms and procedures. Also, someone has to know how to care for her when she's released."

"I would have thought her parents are here seeing there are a couple of news vans outside." Louis said.

"I haven't seen them, but if _you_ do please tell them I need to talk to them urgently. I'll be back later tonight. For now, I just want to rest up a bit and see my son."

The doctor said his goodbyes and left just before checking up on Elle.

"Poor child…" Reverend James sighed. "I tried to enquire about her, but they said the information was for family members only."

"Dr. Foreman is my half-sister's husband," Louis explained though the preacher was confused. "It's a long story."

"Oh. Well, I want to see how Ms. Lane is doing before heading back to Hope." The Reverend announced.

"I'll come with you," Louis said. "Lyla, are you coming?"

Lyla looked into Elle's room through the window. "You go ahead. I'll meet you up there in a bit."

Louis kissed her goodbye and left along with the reverend. Looking at Elle, Lyla couldn't help but think of her own unborn child. It wasn't just about Evan anymore, because it isn't just about one person. She felt like she was part of a tangled web of people, some who did her good and others not so much. Still, she was connected to all of them and no matter how closed off she seemed to be, Lyla was surrounded by people who changed her life.

From the contrary side to were the elevators where, she saw Darling Diamond. The celebrity wore her sunglasses inside and looked fresh out of a magazine cover. For a minute Lyla felt vain for taking so long to get dressed today. Then again, she couldn't compare herself to Darling. It wouldn't be fair. Darling Diamond wore a nude, tight, short dress with rhinestones and a white mink coat that fell down to her ankles. It almost seemed like a superhero cape in the way she walked towards her. Darling was a star. She stood out from the dismal hospital corridors as well as her companions, Mrs. Hammond, Mr. Graham and a security guard—all dressed in black.

"Ms. Novacek." Was Darling's cold greeting as she stood next to Lyla to look at Elle.

"Now remember Darla, you only have a couple of minutes before you have to meet Nick and his wife. The press will be expecting it…" Mrs. Hammond explained.

"The press?" Lyla intervened. "And then what? You aren't just going to leave her?" Darling didn't answer. "Are you?"

"Mrs. Hammond I need a moment alone with Ms. Novacek." She said and her publicist stood a few feet from them, next to Graham. "What else can I do?"

Lyla scoffed, "Be responsible."

"I can't be a parent."

She'd been safeguarding the note hoping to confront Elle with her, but instead, Lyla thought maybe it was Darling who needed it more. She handed the note Louis found under their couch for Darling's inspection.

Darling unfolded it. "It's my mother's handwriting…" she said and began to read. Lyla looked at her. She wanted to see a shred of any emotion, but behind the ridiculously big sunglasses, she couldn't quite make out her expression. "Where did you get this?" Diamond asked with a sniff and a hand to her cheek.

"It was among Elle's things…" Lyla said taking back the letter. Darling Diamond was crying, but not enough to stir any reaction. "So?"

"So?" Darling smiled. "It only goes to show you how well a mother knows her children. Mine, as usual, is right again."

"But you didn't let her go," Lyla was confused and frustrated. "Nick told us, you wanted another chance with her… to reconnect. Why are you giving up? I mean, you've been here all this time, you definitely care about her."

"I am concerned," Darling paused for a moment. "It is too late for us and there is no way she fits into my world or I in hers and I'm not even going to mention Nick. He's just had a baby boy and is ecstatic… nothing like when she was born fourteen years ago."

"You were young back then—it's different now, right?"

"Don't do this Ms. Novacek. Don't make the same mistake my mother made and force a feeling that doesn't exist…" Darling Diamond readjusted her shades. "Alright. I'm ready, Mrs. Hammond."

"Ok, let's go then…" Mrs. Hammond was quick to say.

"So that's it?" Lyla insisted, moved to tears to be witnessing Elle's abandonment. "Dr. Foreman said she's been calling for her mother all night."

Darling Diamond took her sunglasses off and looked at Lyla. Her eyes were familiar as she had seen them before on Elle's face. "And as far as _I'm_ concerned her mother is right here… it just isn't me."

"_**Well, look who's here…" Mr. Jeffries said when Dylan and Marshall walked in.**_

He was never one to tease but his mood had largely improved. Louis sat next to Jeffries, smiling.

"Evan? What are you doing here?" he asked surprised to see his son emerge from behind his uncle.

"How's my sister?" Dylan asked.

"Go see for yourself…" Mr. Jeffries smiled at her and then back at Marshall who sunk into a seat far away from them both.

"I brought him because he called from school. He said he needed to see you urgently and I was alredy driving Dylan so…"

"You and I will talk about that later, Marshall…" Louis said standing up. "What are you doing here bud?"

"Where's mom?" Evan asked.

"She's downstairs. If you want I can take you there. We could visit Hope and Elle and then… we kind of have to talk to you…"

"Oh. No…" Marshall wailed.

"_You_ are just a spectator…" Louis said to him while walking out of the waiting area.

"They're probably going to adopt the girl as if he didn't have enough problems already…" Marshall scoffed.

"Shouldn't you be worried about your own?" Mr. Jeffries teased. "What's up with you and Dylan?"

"Nothing."

"I left her at Andrea's which is a lot closer from here than… let's say… your place."

"Feeling smug are we?" Marshall was annoyed.

Mr. Jeffries smiled, "Not in the slightest. I just don't understand why you won't admit you like her, maybe even love her. Is that not natural between a man and a woman?"

"Is that the voice of experience?" Marshall smiled.

"Truce?" Mr. Jeffries asked and Marshall nodded.

"That woman is insane!" Dylan complaint coming out of her sister's room. "She says the most horrible things to me and then tells me she's got a brilliant idea, which is not really brilliant and says _you_ are helping her? Rich, Andrea needs limits, boundaries—not coconspirators! She's not even well yet."

"Calm down, Dylan. You know her. As long as she has a mission in her mind, she's not going to stop. It'll drive her to a faster recuperation."

"So we're just going to let her manipulate us as she's always done?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

Dylan scoffed and sat next to him. "It's kind of good to have her back, though, isn't it?"

"Yes. You just got to keep reminding yourself of it…"

_**Evan was nervous.**_ He followed his father hoping he didn't look half as guilty as he thought he did. He could tell Louis was in a fairly good mood and was hoping Lyla would be in one too. He didn't want to be in anymore trouble. By the time they got to the fourth floor, Evan wasn't sure he wanted to do this. He didn't want to see his mom and he especially didn't want to see Elle.

"You don't have to see her if you don't want to," Louis said to him. Truth was, Evan looked rather pale.

"I'm ok."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He lied. Evan followed Louis further through the hallway. Though Louis's pace slowed down, he'd yet to see his mom. A nurse came out of a room and Louis stopped to talk to her, but Evan didn't listen. He was where he had to be to see his mom inside the room, cradling Elle.

Louis looked at Evan taking a guess at his emotions, but Evan was always a hard read. "Hope is only a few rooms away from this one. Room 405. You want to go visit her first?"

"What's wrong with Elle?" he asked, but then again he knew. He meant to ask why she wasn't fighting his mother.

"She's in pain from her bruises. All kids in pain ask for their mothers, but Elle…"

"It's ok. Can I see Hope now?" he interrupted.

"Sure." Louis said placing a hand on Evan's shoulders.

"I meant, just me. May _I_ go see Hope? Room 405 you said, right?"

"Uh, yeah…sure, it's um… it's right through there. I'll wait for you right here ok?"

Evan nodded and started his walk. After taking the first few steps he turned around. Things were always easiest with Louis. He took his back pact off and searched through it until he found the notebook paper all folded up between the pages of his math book. "Here." He said handing Louis the note.

"What's this?"

"Elle gave it to me to give to mom a few days ago and I didn't. I'm sorry." Evan made sure his father had it and continued walking away to Hope's room.

Louis looked at him and realized he was still struggling with everything that had happened. It pained him to think, as a father, there was nothing he could do to protect Evan from everything he'd been through. Then again, he was also very proud of the person he was and whatever big or small influence he had on him.

"Was that Evan?" Lyla asked coming from Elle's room.

"Yes. How is she doing?" Louis asked. "What were you doing in there? Is her fever contagious?"

"Ease up, Louis." She took his hands. "The effect of the painkillers wore off and Elle was again crying. I asked the doctor filling in for your sister's husband if I could go inside. I told him I am pregnant, but he said that Elle has nothing contagious. It's just a few broken bones. She sweated off whatever she had in last night's fever this morning. Now tell me about Evan. What's he doing here?"

"He called Marshall. He wanted to give us this…" Louis gave Lyla the note.

"Where is he off to now?" she asked unfolding the paper.

"To see Hope." He answered while Lyla read. "He said Elle gave it to him to give to you a few days back, but he kept it until now and he's sorry."

Lyla's expression was confused. "I believe it's addressed to both of us, but I… don't think I understand."

Louis examined the note. It read: "_I truly am very sorry for everything. You have saved me at my wrong turn. Thank you so much for a thousand years. Dreaming of a thousand more… -Elle." _ Louis chuckled.

"What? You get it don't you?" Lyla was a little jealous of their inexplicable bond.

"Elle's mind truly is a playlist," he folded the paper and handed it back to Lyla. "She's referencing a song that I suggest you do not listen to with those hormonal waterworks."

"_**Evan!" Hope was very happy to see her friend.**_

Evan walked over to her and they hugged. Reverend James said he was happy to see him and introduced him to a couple who were visiting Hope.

"Thank you for saving me, August." She smiled his way. "Though I'm sorry about your arm."

"It's ok. I'm glad you're okay." Evan said.

The couple asked to speak to Mr. Jeffries outside and Evan thought this was the perfect opportunity to really apologize to Hope.

"Where's Arthur?" she asked.

"He's stuck at school, but he wanted to see you." Evan assured her, "I'm really sorry Hope."

"Why? I'm okay because of you… well, I'm going to be. Reverend James says I have to go to a group home after I'm released, but I don't mind. I know I have to wait until Ms. Lane gets better."

"I mean, I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you or played you my music since your grandma got sick." Evan was embarrassed. "I was scared."

"_You_ scared? But you're August Rush! You're never scared!"

"Well I was. I didn't want to make you upset and I didn't know how to help you."

"You're a good friend, Evan." She smiled. "Don't you have your computer in there? Can't you show me the music now?"

Evan smiled. He _was_ carrying around with his father's laptop… without his permission, but he was sure Louis wouldn't mind. It's not like he was using it anyways. Evan opened the file where he was piecing together an orchestral symphony for the concert next spring. He played the music sample and watched Hope close her eyes to listen. She was his biggest critic and he allowed it because she had showed him how to play his notes.

"It sounds sad…" she said suddenly. "What is it about?"

"I'm not sure…" Evan said sitting next to her on the bed. "But it needs to be good. I want to be featured in the concert next spring. I haven't since that one time."

"Last time it was about finding your parents." Hope explained. "Maybe this time should be about finding your voice?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ms. Lane—she's going to be my mom, you know—told me that I had to be myself, but I didn't understand because there are so many people out there! Then Ms. Snow said I had to find my voice, which basically meant who I was in between all the people in the world."

"You are Hope." Evan said, not fully aware of its meaning.

"Yes I am. Who are _you_?"

i © 2011 & Carden's Design. All Rights Reserved.


	20. Chapter 20: Break, mold, glue together

_**Note**_: My loyal readers, thank you SO much for your patience. I hope it proves worthy as this story comes to an end. There is only one more chapter left and I hope you will enjoy it.

Sincerily yours,

Undiscovered Story Teller

**Chapter 20: Break, mold, glue together.**

"_**Come here Evan…" Lyla said when she saw him walk back from Hope's room.**_

Evan walked cautiously towards her. "I'm sorry." He knew said aware that what he did was wrong and it might just add to the punishment for his escape to rescue Hope.

"We know," Lyla smiled. She took his hands and kissed them.

Every moment he found himself standing before his parents, felt like seeing them for the first time. His heart jumped in his chest, his palms sweat and he couldn't help but smile. This time, however, smiling was rather difficult. He was standing by Elle's window and she wasn't just wounded, but was also alone. A few days back he would have loved to rub it in her face. Now, it wasn't worth it. Evan wasn't sure that he _liked_ her, but he understood her better and felt pity that her parents didn't want her. After knowing Elle's truth, Evan wondered what he would have done if upon finding his parents he discovered they didn't want him.

That wasn't the problem. He never doubted they wanted him. The problem was that their hearts were just as open to anyone else and—unfortunately, Elle squeezed in. Lately, Evan found her memory shoving itself into his mind and he was afraid of a massive takeover. Elle was not a force you could really escape. Then it dawned on him: standing in front of his mom and dad, Evan was thinking about Elle.

"I know that everything that we've been through has been very hard on you and we wanted to apologize, me especially," Louis said. He no longer knelt in front of him to speak to him as Evan was almost as tall as he. However, Louis always looked straight into his son's eyes. "I didn't know what I was doing or what would happen." He chuckled, "If I am completely honest, I wanted to be like you."

"Like me? How?" Evan was shocked. Why would a man as great as his father want to be like him?

"You said you heard the moon and you followed it. You were brave," Louis smiled. "See, I wasn't very brave. I should have tried to find Lyla sooner, faster, harder… but I didn't. And to top it all off, I gave up on my music. I was afraid to face my feelings then and I didn't want to do it again now."

Lyla hadn't heard Louis's confession before. Her regrets where not her own, but rather shared. Eleven years was a long time and two years too little to change old habits. She understood that they couldn't pick up where they've left, but rather start anew.

"It's ok. I've been scared too," Evan said. "I wasn't sure we should rescue Hope and after we were there I was afraid the whole time." His cheeks became red, embarrassed at his confession. "Elle helped me. She's really not that bad… I guess."

Louis and Lyla looked at each other and smiled.

"We are so lucky to have found each other, Evan!" Lyla said hugging her kid. Maybe the peace she felt while doing so was, in a way, her way of forgiving her father. After what she'd been through, Lyla felt she could understand _his_ reasons better. She didn't justify him and never would, but in a hospital nobody could think straight. She looked again into Evan's eyes and kissed his forehead. And that's how she was burying her resentment towards Thomas Novacek.

"Evan, we need to talk to you about our family." Louis said, "I'm afraid you'll experience every position from the only child to the middle child in a matter of months."

"You want to adopt Elle, don't you?" he asked. He saw it coming from day one. Evan knew it would happen because every time he sat down to write a new melody about them, he was stumped. There was something missing.

"We want to know what you think, though." Louis told him, "You are an important member of this family and your opinion matters to us."

Evan thought about it. How did he feel about sharing his parents, his friends and probably, everything else with Elle? Back a Walden, he never contemplated another person when he daydreamed about life with his parents as a family; let alone someone like Elle Alexander. He'd known her for a while and she was mean, scary, careless, fearless, smart and amusing.

"If she's anything like Arthur, it will be good for her to have a family." Evan expressed his opinion, though he kind of evaded the question a little.

"I don't know if we're the one for her, but we can try…" Louis smiled.

"And if it doesn't work out?" Evan asked. He knew they wanted to do a good thing, but anyone would be hesitant about taking Elle in.

"It doesn't matter. Different people, even within a family bring different things to make it better." Lyla seemed concerned. "The truth is, Evan, there's something else. Something that, regardless of Elle, you can't choose or take back," She worried Evan thought of Elle as a reversible choice, not so much for Elle's sake, but for the new baby's. Evan couldn't choose not to share his life with this new baby if he or she turned out to be different from what he expected. She couldn't hold it any longer and with a smile told him: "We're gonna have a baby."

His parents smiled at him. "All of us?" he asked already jealous. This new baby would have all the time he missed with his parents and more.

"Yeah." Louis's answer was simple.

Evan could see his parents were excited and he understood there was no going back. If there was going to be yet another person, one who would never understand _him_—_truly_ understand him, then he needed an ally. "Ok." He smiled.

"Ok? That's it?" Lyla asked, a bit disappointed by Evan's reaction.

"We can have another baby."

"Thank you for your permission, Evan." Louis smiled messing up his hair. He then looked at Lyla and shrugged his shoulders.

"Ok." She smiled. "I guess, that's all I'm going to get…"

"Wait." Evan became confused, "So, Elle or no Elle?"

_**Bridget didn't know anyone in the waiting area. **_She insisted Averil take her to the hospital to show her sons some support. Her courage left her as she took the elevator for the seventh floor and eventually made it to the waiting area, neither Marshall nor Louis where there. She decided then to sit and wait for them before calling her daughter asking to be picked up.

"I'll stay with her until she's released…"

"Dylan, it's better that _I_ stay with her until she's released and _you_ take care of her at home."

"You can't take off work now. You got to work on Hope's case."

"You're serious?"

"Excuse me?" Bridget interrupted their conversation. "Is Hope a little girl? I'm Bridget Lawton. Evan is my grandson and I've had him and another young man staying with me. Do you know Louis and Marshall Connelly?"

The man smiled and she liked him immediately, "Yes, ma'am. And let me thank you first for taking care of Arthur. I'm his father, Richard Jeffries, at your service."

"Oh. Hello!" Bridget felt better now.

"And I'm Arthur's his soon-to-be-aunt, Dylan." She said and Mr. Jeffries elbowed her.

"It's nice to meet you." Bridget smiled, "Have you met my daughter Averil?"

"Yes, she's very nice." Dylan smiled at Bridget. It was fun to meet her potential mother-in-law before Marshall introduced them. "But what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see my sons and know how their friends are doing." Bridget answered, "I hope I'm not impertinent."

"Not at all, Mrs. Lawton." Mr. Jeffries said, "Dylan is Ms. Lane's sister and I am a close friend."

"My sister is recovering—slowly, but that's because she hasn't gotten her strength. I'm sure after she gathers enough of it, she'll recover much faster. Marshall went down to the cafeteria and Louis is downstairs with Lyla and Evan visiting Elle."

"I'm sorry I got to leave you ladies, but I better pick up Arthur. Can I get you anything Dylan?"

"I'm good, Richard, thanks."

"Then we'll continue or discussion later," Mr. Jeffries turned to Mrs. Lawton, "It was a pleasure to meet you and thanks again for keeping Arthur."

"It's not a problem at all! He's very smart and has good feelings. I hope he'll stay over again soon."

Mr. Jeffries smiled at her and exited.

"He's in love with my sister but won't admit it. Neither will she, for _that_ matter…"

"And who are _you_ in love with?"

Dylan blushed. She didn't expect Bridget to ask her that question, "So… you know?"

"Only that Marshall's in love with a pretty girl who may be pregnant," Bridget smiled. "You seemed to fit the description well."

"Because I'm pretty?" Dylan batted her eyelashes.

"You're feet are swollen…" Bridget smiled. "But I suppose you are very attractive too."

Dylan chuckled. She liked Marshall's mom.

"Bridget!" Marshall was surprised to see her sitting right across from Dylan. It was his worst nightmare as both women had a grasp on him, he didn't quite like. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, though it worked to my advantage as I met the mother of my future grandchild." She smiled at him and then turned to Dylan, "And I'd like many others too."

"Well, you have two more children so ask them…" Marshall's bad mood returned to him.

Bridget chuckled, "You don't realize how transparent you are, Marshall. You—acting out and being snarky—only make yourself more obvious."

"She's kind of right, Marshall." Dylan teased.

"Did you ever get the DNA test results?" Bridget asked. Marshall didn't answer. He had indeed gotten them, but stacked them up with the rest of his bills. He was not sure what he wanted them to say and instead delayed reading them. "I did." Bridget said after his silence.

"And?" Dylan asked because Marshall wouldn't.

"Well, you're going to be a mother soon. What would you do?" Bridget winked at her. "Could anyone tell me where to find Louis?"

"Fourth floor." Dylan said, "Ask for Melody Alexandra. They'll point you in the right way."

Marshall stood watching. Before she left, Bridget put a hand on his cheek and smiled. Dylan liked that she wasn't the only one who exasperated Marshall or the only one who could see through his façade.

"She's your mom, you know…" Dylan said when Marshall sat next to her. Again, he didn't say a word. "And it's not just gut feeling, I read the results last night after our make-up session."

Marshall scoffed, "Is being stuck with you not enough? Do you have to make me miserable, too?"

Dylan smiled and took his hand, "I love you too, Marshall."

_**Arthur didn't want to play today.**_ As soon as the last bell rang he gathered his stuff and sat on the stairs waiting for Mr. Jeffries to pick him up. He hadn't seen him for a while and he didn't know if he could face him. However, Arthur knew he had to be brave. He had to face the man who had accepted to be his father especially after everything he had done for him. Arthur wrote him a letter in music class and he planned to have Averil deliver it tonight when she went to the hospital. He wished he could be as lucky as August and visit their friends, but he couldn't. Nobody was as lucky as Evan.

The front yard had yet to clear out when he saw Mr. Jeffries' car in the distance. Arthur panicked. This was _not_ supposed to happen! Where was Averil? Mr. Jeffries was supposed to read the letter _before_ they could talk. He slowly walked towards the car at the circle. There was a usual car jam as children failed to remember their parents were waiting to pick them up. Stuck in traffic, there was time enough for the issue to be addressed even if he felt it was too soon for that.

"How was your day?" Mr. Jeffries asked as soon as Arthur took his place at the front seat.

He hoped putting on his seat belt would delay having to answer, but the task barely took away any of his time. "It was okay. How's… everybody?"

"Who do you want to hear about first?" he smiled and Arthur was glad he was in a good mood.

It didn't make the situation less nerve wrecking, but at least it didn't seem so scary either.

"Elle?"

Mr. Jeffries sighed, "She'll be ok."

"Why do you seem so sad then? Is it Ms. Lane?" Arthur worried.

"No. No, Andrea woke up today and is already scheming to adopt Hope," Mr. Jeffries paused to study Arthur's reaction. He exhaled sharply as if a huge weight had been lifted of his shoulders. "What do you think of that?"

"I'm happy for Hope and that Ms. Lane is doing ok." Arthur said looking down at his feet. He refused to look straight at Mr. Jeffries and he noticed.

"Is everything ok, Arthur?"

"No." The boy turned around and finally looked straight at him. He seemed to be sure of himself, but Mr. Jeffries read fear in his glance. "I'm really sorry about what happened to everyone. It was all my fault. After that officer said it was Lil'Jesus I just _had_ to do something. I knew that guy was bad and Hope is like my little sister…" Arthur spoke and didn't realize what he said until it was out in the open. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I meant that Hope is a really good friend."

"I know what you meant. I'm sorry if I let you think you were at fault. You're not."

"You didn't. You were helping everybody out… I was just getting in the way," Arthur was sad.

"We've always talked straight with each other, right?" Mr. Jeffries asked him. Arthur looked at him but didn't answer. "If it hadn't been for you guys, Hope could have been in real danger. When Andy saw you running my boss had given the order to stop the search for her because we weren't doing it according to protocol. The officers also had to stop the search for you and Evan because you hadn't been missing for at least 24 hours and it wasn't the first time you or Evan disappeared and later showed up. The same went for Elle."

"I appreciate that you were looking," he said looking out the window. "When I escaped home and started living with Wizard nobody was looking for me. Nobody even thought I was in danger. You did that for me too. You worried."

Mr. Jeffries had never thought much of the day in Washington Park when he asked that dirty boy with Maxwell Wallace if he was alright. He was simply doing his job. Richard Jeffries didn't take his duties lightly, neither moral nor work related. He had warned the police. The raid both Evan and Arthur talked about had been his doing and he liked to believe that his actions towards him helped influence Arthur's decision to help Evan escape Wizard, and eventually find his parents.

"Thank you." Mr. Jeffries said to Arthur. His son was clearly not expecting those words to come out of his mouth. "Yes. Thank you, Arthur. I learn from you every day."

"But I was wrong and put my friends in danger."

"Yet we've all learned from that," he smiled. "For me it was that life is simple and vulnerable."

"Simple?" Arthur chuckled. "I couldn't have taught you that!"

"We're the complicated ones really or have the seasons stopped changing or the amount of hours in a day? It is us who change Arthur and I like to think myself a better person after meeting you."

"Really?"

"Really." He grabbed Arthur's shoulder. "I'm just sorry I'm not very good at this. It has been a long time since I last was a dad."

"It's ok. I'm not a very good house pet either," Arthur smiled, secretly discarding the piece of paper.

Mr. Jeffries chuckled, "Maybe we _both_ need Ms. Lane." The boy blushed. With his plans exposed, who knows what could happen. "I hear she gets things done."

_**Evan had asked to come inside Elle's room with them**_, when Bridget and Dr. Foreman came over.

"Oh! Grayson, have you met my son Louis?" Bridget asked unable to mask her excitement.

Dr. Foreman smiled at his mother in law and allowed her to re-introduce him to her son. "Nice to meet you again, Louis."

"You, too." Louis smiled. He smiled because even if Bridget hadn't been their real mother, he had a strong feeling she would have stayed. "How's Elle doing, doctor?"

"She's doing well, though she's stubborn. We've told her she should not move and yet the nurses keep telling me she does so just to be in pain. Typically cry for attention." Dr. Foreman explained. "I'm taking her off the stronger meds because I don't want to create a dependency, especially if he pain is self-provoked. Some ibuprofen and an ice pack should do the job well if she cooperates and I am hoping that under a mild treatment for an intense pain, she'll be more willing."

"How long until she's fully recovered?" Lyla asked.

"A couple of months. I've been meaning to ask you about her parents." The doctor said and Louis and Lyla looked at one another. "I don't have their contact information. I have yours. I can't release her without their authorization and there are treatments and care procedures they need to follow to ensure she'll be alright."

"What's wrong? Where are her parents?" Bridget asked holding on to Louis's arm.

Louis didn't mind the gesture, but the question made him feel uncomfortable. "They're not here." He looked at Lyla. She leaned against the window, back towards Elle.

"My parents want to adopt Elle…" Evan said. "But she's too difficult."

"Oh." Bridget said, but it was enough to make him and Lyla feel she was judging them.

"We can't force her." Louis said in their defense. Lyla nodded.

"Nobody understands the situation better than I do." Bridget chuckled. "I'm going through the same thing with Marshall—he resists the idea of being my son, but he is! And if that stubborn mule thinks I'm giving up on him after all this time without him, he's got another thing coming."

"Hi everybody," Mr. Jeffries and Arthur joined in. "What's going on?"

"Dr. Foreman needs Elle's parents." Louis explained.

"Louis and his wife want to adopt the little girl, Grayson. Isn't that sort of the same?" Bridget asked.

"I'm afraid not."

"Can't _you_ do something?" Arthur asked Mr. Jeffries.

For a moment everyone stared at him, "First, Andrea and now you? Adoption is not an easy process."

"That one movie—the one about the girl with the mind powers—anyways, in the end the girl gives her parents some papers so that they can give her away to her teacher, can't that be done?" Arthur asked.

Mr. Jeffries sighed, "Maybe, something like it. Elle's case is particular and has nothing to do with the state, but once we move forward—we can't go back." He looked at Lyla and Louis.

Louis looked at Bridget. She smiled, "There are no right or wrong answers. This is a tough choice, but one you got to make."

"If I may be so bold and speak as health specialist," Dr. Foreman said. "Children need stability, discipline and love among all the other things that may be material. Elle has lacked those and I think it would be cruel to keep teasing her by going back and forth. There can be no gray areas in this case, you either want her and stick by her, or don't and never see her again. There's a lot to be done, but we need consistency—_she _needs consistency."

Everyone was silent and still. Evan didn't understand why his parents had to think about it so much after everything they had said to him about it. If their minds had already made up, what was the problem?

"May I talk to her?" Arthur asked amid the silence. He walked straight into the room before anyone could oppose. Elle was frigidly lying on the bed and rolled her eyes at him as he walked near. "They're inviting you into their family. Don't you want a home?"

"We had a couple of moments." She said softly, "I don't want pity or charity." Elle was in pain. She wondered how long until she died. Elle suspected God had a dreadful sense of humor and she was his latest joke.

"Stop fighting everything! Lots of kids like us don't get this opportunity. Besides, I know you like them too. So stop being a coward."

"Elle, we'd like to talk to you." Louis, Lyla and Evan entered the room. Arthur smiled at them and left. He wouldn't be able to hear, but he watched from the window.

Lyla sat on the bed and softly removed some hair away from Elle's face. "You've apologized to me… sort of, but I don't think I've apologized to you. I didn't make you feel welcome when you first came to us and I fueled your resistance. I was angry at you for acting out in my class—which I guess _can_ be a little boring—I'm sorry Elle."

"Don't." Elle replied not looking at her. Lyla's hand through her golden locks disarmed Elle when she most wanted to fight. She didn't need to be breaking again. Ms. Novacek was still the teacher and she her problem student. Having shared a moment after a ridiculous make-over didn't change anything.

Louis stood by the head of the bed looking down at her, "I know we're had a rocky few months together, but we'd like you to stay with us."

"No." Elle answered.

"Why not?!" Evan asked angrily. She didn't really have other choices and his family was good for her.

"I don't want to," talking was rather painful and she wondered if any of them got hold of her discomfort.

Louis and Lyla looked at one another. The situation made them want to reconsider, but second guessing themselves now would be a mistake. "Why are you acting this way?" Lyla asked her, but Elle didn't answer. "Louis and I have been talking and… would it be so bad if you stayed with us? Don't you want to?"

"I don't. deserve to." She struggled to say. Her voice was shaky because was crying and in pain.

"Don't be so stubborn, Elle. Let us be the judge of that," Louis said to her, but Elle turned her head the other way. "We'd want you to be part of our family."

"Why?" she asked, her bad temper threatening to surface.

"We owe each other a sporting chance," Louis squeezed her hand.

"You can't save…" she took a deep breath. Elle needed to stop the conversation.

"Anyone," Louis added before she could speak. "It's not about the world, it's about you—or weren't you the one calling? That thing I felt, that song I heard… it drove me extremely close to insanity. I refuse to believe it wasn't you needing me, needing _us_…"

"Evan?" Elle insisted. _He_ was the one to hear things. Maybe it was he who Louis heard. It couldn't have been her.

"What?" Evan asked absent mindedly, "Do you hear that?"

The room became silent. Evan heard that familiar melody he hadn't heard as loudly for a couple years ago. Lyla got Goosebumps; she could hear it to! She hadn't heard the tune since the night she met Louis. Her eyes desperately searched for his. Evidently, he could hear it. Louis's blue eyes sparkled as he nodded his head to the sound building up from them being together. Elle stared blankly at them. Louis, Evan and Lyla were immersed in something bigger than them, something she couldn't understand and struggled to disregard. Gradually, the pain in her chest burst into a melody that tickled all the way to her ears and then back down to her heart. That melody, that one that Elle heard now was the same one stuck inside her head for a long time now. It was for that melody that Elle had written those lyrics to; the ones Louis had recited the first day she had broken.

"_Find me. Save me, you already love me, so save me, find me, I've been lost, oh so lost without you."_

The Connelly had found a way to break her, mold her… and it scared Elle. She was now as broken emotionally as she was physically, but it didn't anger her anymore. Elle was trying not to feel the pull, the anxiety of missing them when they were standing right there and the fear of losing them regardless her refusal.

"How about you do what Ms. Snow said then?" Louis asked, a smug smile on his face. "Stay with us and work hard to get into a good, far away college in the next three to four years."

"That's not too long a time when you really think about it," Lyla closed the sell.

"Until then, you can stay with us…" Louis said taking the computer out of his bag and opening to the document where he wrote his new music. He typed furiously sparking everyone's curiosity.

"What… what is that?" Elle asked, struggling to look. Evan sat the notebook at the end of her feet and Elle couldn't easily bend to see it because of her cracked ribs.

Evan looked at her, then at his dad and finally at his mom. Even with Elle in the room their attention was all on him… and it was a feeling he could get used to. He smiled at their curious faces, "You'll have to wait until spring when this new piece is featured at the concert."


	21. Chapter 21: Chapter One Rewritten

To my dear reader,

Thank you so much for your support and patience! Here is the last Chapter for "Finding the Melody"! I hope you enjoy it. If you wish to read more from me, don't forget to subscribe on to my Author's Alert or look for my original works posted on Fictionpress or Booksie under: UndiscoveredStoryTeller. Hope to hear from you through your comments! Happy reading…

~UndiscoveredStoryTeller

Chapter 21 (Epilogue):_** Chapter One Rewritten**_

_**Evan laid in bed that morning replaying everything that had happened in his head.**_ Hearing his symphony come to life through the Philharmonic… well, it was the perfect end to the new beginning as he was once again challenged to find out who he was.

Hope's question hovered in his head for a long time after that. Evan didn't know who he was when he had to witness Hope enter a group house a few days later. It hurt him to see his angel go through that again, but this time he knew what he wanted to do and his Uncle Marshall helped them do it. That was another chance for him to remember: change was good. Uncle Marshall and Ms. Snow were living above the bar together. His dad was trying to get them to buy a nicer place, like they had, but they both liked it up there. His mother said they were going to get married soon, but Evan didn't know if his Uncle was really in love. He had agreed to take him and Arthur to see Hope every afternoon after school just so he wouldn't have to come home to Ms. Snow. He often said the baby made her crazy.

Evan didn't think Ms. Snow was any crazier than usual. She was their art teacher and still gave almost every lesson barefooted. Elle remarked that her swollen feet fit the _pinnipedia_ _clade_ Mr. Farley discussed in his science class. Back to her antics, Elle made Ms. Snow cry and got a week of contraband detention. She and Ms. Snow worked things out on their own so long as Elle didn't want to be told on, and she usually never wanted _that_. Her manipulation and antics often dragged him and Arthur along. Luckily, the class was being divided next year when they reached the ninth grade and he and Elle would be separated.

Though Hope was in a lower grade, they had the same lunch and all ate together. They also had a lot of fun in the playground at recess. She started writing stories about four kids who were super heroes. Elle drew them out and Evan was in charge of their theme song. They had a lot of fun with this because each of the characters where based off them. The first installment was them rescuing "Pink"—Hope's character. It was the real story of what happened, without all the flying and laser vision. The kids at school liked them and never even knew it was real. The second installment was their race against the Ice Queen. That was Ms. Lane.

Her recovery was very hard, but not too long. She was sitting at their table by Christmas. Her present was Hope. Mr. Jeffries brought her for a surprise visit. He managed to approve Ms. Snow and Uncle Marshall as her temporary home until Ms. Lane got even better, which she did—with their help, by February. Valentine's Day was the day of their last escape. Elle convinced them of accompanying her to Nick Agostino's concert where he would share the stage with Darling Diamond. It had been postponed until then and Lyla refused to play with him. They had no choice, but to take matters into their own hands.

Only his parents knew exactly what happened between Elle and her parents that day. She didn't go to school for several days and they were all grounded afterwards so they couldn't get it out of her. Elle never spoke of them again. Evan was sure Arthur knew about it because sometimes he and Elle hung out just the two of them. Every time they left him behind, Evan was forced to think about Hope's question. He didn't know who he was, but those nights were still very special because his father was again just for him. Hope had a fairly good time too, because Ms. Lane took her out to dinner while Mr. Jeffries went along with them. Louis wasn't too fond of their play dates so Evan was happy to serve as distraction, even though it bugged him that he couldn't come and Mr. Jeffries could. He was sure his best friend and new sister had a secret they weren't telling, but he was going to find out.

One other good thing about change was that their usually boring holidays were now very colorful. Yes. He admitted it. At first it was good it was just him and his parents, but now he knew better. Though, Thanksgiving was sad and awkward, Mrs. Bridget promised they would get better. By Easter they were used to having dinner at her house, Mr. Jeffries and Ms. Lane included. His favorite time was playing with Crowley. Evan was sure he would enjoy having a new baby in the house because he had so much fun with Averil and Dr. Foreman's son every time they came together. Besides after agreeing to let Elle share in his family, a new baby sounded like fun.

"You're still not dressed?" Louis came into the room, to find his son sitting by the window immersed in his own thoughts. He'd been awake for a while by now, but submerged in his thoughts and memories.

"I was thinking about my song today…"

"With _this_ racket?" Louis asked making Evan aware of the noise around him.

He was glad they had moved from their small apartment. The walls would have come apart otherwise, between Elle's loud music and Kayleigh's cries.

Keyleigh. Nothing Evan had lived through could have prepared him for _her_.

"_Evan, we need to talk to you about our family." Louis had said. "I'm afraid you'll experience every position from the only child to the middle child in a matter of months."_

"_You want to adopt Elle?" he had asked. He hadn't even thought of another baby._

"_Yes, but there's something else," Lyla smile only made him feel uneasy. "We're gonna have a baby!"_

"All of us?" he thought initially and then again after seeing the toll it took on his mom. Lyla left school, just like Mrs. Stevens. She had no energy and everything he or his dad did annoyed her. Somehow Elle flew under the radar. Probably because she enjoyed the weird food combinations and liked being in charge when both their parents were simply spent. Evan wanted to be angry at this new stranger for putting everyone against him—even Elle, with whom he'd begun to enjoy. Everyone was talking about the new baby and while baby Connor seemed okay when they visited Uncle Marshall, Kayleigh was a phenomenon of her own. All the new decorations where for _her _room, all the new clothes and toys and stuff was for her and Elle took advantage of being a girl to get some stuff out of their crazed parents. There was just nothing for _him_.

Evan shouldn't have feared Elle would destroy his family. Even before materializing, Kayleigh was wearing his parents thin. Because of her they had—once more—postponed their wedding having decided to move instead. Louis spent more time working on his computer, leaving Evan no choice but to beg Elle for hers. Also, he barely played with him anymore and he had to stoop to playing with Elle, who didn't have the attention span to work on a project for more than an hour. There was a fun side to it too, though. Evan really liked when his father went for takeout at odd hours in the night. It gave him an opportunity to eat with his mother while Louis slept on the couch and Elle was up in her room. In fact, during one of those late night dinners he and Lyla had come up with the name Kayleigh.

She looked very small and peaceful when she came from the hospital that summer afternoon. It seemed like an eternity, but it was in fact a few weeks prior. Evan had sworn to loathe her especially after his father asked both him and Elle to clean up the house and of course, Elle had abandoned him to it. But Kayleigh's cuteness won him over. He'd never been a big brother before. But before she became a big responsibility, she became a huge disturbance. She didn't do much else but cry… all the time… hence Elle dubbing her _Waieigh_. She got in trouble at first, but soon the nickname caught on and even his parents called her that on occasions. It was an especially easy thing to do after a sleepless night. Much to Evan's annoyance, Kayleigh looked more like Elle than him. She had yellow hair like an angel—though she was far from being one yet.

"Could someone check on Kayleigh, please?" Lyla yelled from her room waking Evan from his thoughts again. He had yet to get ready.

"Evan should do it!" Elle yelled passing by his room and staring, "He still stinks!"

"Not now Elle," Louis said rushing past by her, before returning to see him. "Evan! Wake up and get ready, bud. We got to leave in half an hour!"

"What about Waileigh?" Elle asked. Evan saw that she was all dressed up. Elle hated to break a sweat when she was all dressed up.

"How are you busy, Elle?"

"How are _you_ busy, Louis?"

"I'm looking for the rings…" he whispered.

"You lost them!" Elle was alarmed. "We're leaving in a half hour and you don't have the rings?"

"Just… please, go check on Wai—Kayleigh. Please? Thank you." He turned Elle around and pushed her towards the baby's room.

"I'll help you look, dad." Evan promised while he buttoned up his shirt.

"Thanks, kid." Louis said rushing away somewhere.

Evan didn't know why this wedding was so stressful! Mr. Jeffries and Mrs. Lane's had been nothing like this. Averil let them do it in her lawn, since it was beautiful and green in the beginning of summer. Reverend James said a few words, then a guy in a suit married them and finalized Arthur's and Hope's adoption process. They now belonged to _both_ their guardians, just as he belonged to his parents. Hope and Elle sang a song while Arthur played the guitar for the bride and groom's first dance. Evan would have participated if his classes at Julliard would have allowed. He did however meet the son of a student there who goes to his same school. His name is Kevin and Evan hangs out with Kevin whenever Arthur is off with his friends. It feels good to have made a new friend on his own whom he didn't have to share.

"Waileigh needs a diaper change!" Elle yelled from the baby's room.

"I don't need a play by play I need someone to do it." Lyla scoffed walking in her bridal gown from her room to Kayleigh's.

"Hey, we're here!" Dylan yelled opening the door. Evan rolled his eyes when he heard Connor's gurgling. His little cousin would surely wail after he heard Wai—Kayleigh. She wasn't wailing now…but…

"You're still not ready?" Dylan asked him coming to his door. "Where's everyone?"

"Dylan, is Marshall here?" Louis asked desperately.

"Yeah, he's downstairs—Louis you're sweating!" Dylan wailed. "Marshall is waiting for you and Evan downstairs and the limo just got here to take us girls to the venue. Louis it takes us twenty minutes minus traffic just to get there!"

"Well, I can't find the rings! Didn't I give them to Marshall for safe keeping?"

"I don't leave Connor alone with Marshall yet, why would you give _him_ your wedding rings for safekeeping?"

"Dylan is that you?" Lyla asked.

"Wherever you are stay there! Louis is in the middle of the hallway and we don't want him seeing you!"

"I need help though…"

"Here hold him," Dylan handed Connor to Louis.

"He feels a little warm…" Louis said after kissing his nephew's forehead.

"It's fine. Grayson's says he'll probably be an early teeth-er…"

"Grayson said _that_?" Louis chuckled.

"_I_ could have told you that…" Evan mumbled remembering two nights back at the rehearsal dinner when Connor chewed on his new cellphone.

Ms. Lane…well, Mrs. Jeffries now, had gotten one for each of them after their last escape on Valentine's. Elle and Arthur said they had trackers in it, but neither Hope nor Evan minded the trackers. Besides with Andrea out of work and as a stay-at-home mom, they had bigger problems on their hands. She wasn't especially skilled at it, but spent all her time asking them question and making them study hard.

"Take Connor, I need to keep looking for those rings…" Louis said handing Evan his very heavy baby cousin. Connor immediately grabbed Evan's cheek to bite on, so Evan had to pull him back. "You got him?" Louis asked unaware Evan's face was covered in baby spit.

"It's hot as hell out there," Marshall came in saying. "What on earth is taking you so long?"

"Louis, why are our wedding rings inside Kayleigh's diaper bag?" Lyla asked and immediately after Elle ran out with the box in her hand.

Louis bumped into her.

"That's why…" Marshall said arriving upstairs to the pre-ceremonial chaos.

"Got them!" Louis announced victoriously. "Let's go!"

"Wait! I'm supposed to go with you. What do I do with Connor?" Evan panicked.

"Give him to his mom—he spits everywhere…" Marshall whined.

"What? You can't take a little baby spit?" Louis smiled walking past by him.

Fatherhood hadn't exactly made Marshall flourish, but Louis could tell there was a certain amount of change. Connor and Ms. Snow were softening him to the point where he enjoyed reading bedtime stories with his son. Confession Marshall thought Dylan would have kept to herself, for now the adults teased him for it. To this day, I don't think anyone of them could picture Uncle Marshall reading "_Goodnight Moon_."

"I'm gonna be asking _you_ the same thing shortly…" Marshall followed Louis downstairs.

Elle took Connor from him, "Go! Look alive, Evan!"

Evan shook out of his thoughts and retelling and joined his uncle and father in the car. It was finally happening: his parents were getting married. It wasn't until he saw his parents together that Evan could find an answer to the question of who he was. He wasn't a hero, like Hope said or a prodigy like Arthur reminded him or an idiot like Elle often remarked. Evan was just the same old kid who couldn't believe he pulled it off and actually found his parents—Even if he found a little more along the way. He wanted a family, the one he heard in the melody that day he decided to follow the moon. Evan had just assumed that the song was over and not that it was continuous, like the never ending playlist in Elle's head.

He had found the melody but realized it just that day, under the summer sun, with his parents ready to embark yet another journey into their happily ever after. And it maybe it was never about him, but about them—all of them, _Waileigh_ included. After all, as Evan or August, he always knew who he was: lost and now finally found.


End file.
